


Years And Smiles And Tears

by KassandraScarlett



Series: Female Tony Stark Works [12]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Genre: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, F/F, F/M, Female Tony Stark, Gen, M/M, Sassy Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange parenting Peter Parker | Supremefamily | Strange Family, Tony-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2019-11-13 12:57:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18032189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KassandraScarlett/pseuds/KassandraScarlett
Summary: Antonia Stark, Bruce Banner and Stephen Strange can take over the world together. It's a good thing they're not interested in that.





	1. A Daughter's Regret

**Author's Note:**

> So, as mentioned in Our Unfinished Tale, this is the spin-off of the friendship between our three scientists. Toni, in this series, is a little darker, maybe a bit more ruthless and calculating than in canon. I want to show her as powerful as she can be, outside of the armour. And while Rhodey is still very dear to her, Stephen and Bruce are her closest friends.
> 
> I had also mentioned that Toni is younger than canon Tony. So to make things easier, this is the chart for their ages at key points of the story.
> 
> **Toni Stark:**  
>  Starks' Accident : 1991 – 13yrs old  
> MIT Freshman Year : 1993 – 15yrs old  
> Graduation Year : 1997 – 19yrs old  
> SI Take Over : 1999 - 21yrs old  
> Bern Convention : 2001 – 23yrs old  
> Pregnancy : 2002 – 24yrs old  
> Loki/Toni Relationship : 2007 – 29yrs old  
> Iron Man : 2008 – 30yrs old
> 
> **Bruce Banner:**  
>  MIT Freshman Year : 1993 – 18yrs old  
> Graduation Year : 1997 – 21yrs old  
> SI Take Over : 1999 – 24yrs old  
> Bern Convention : 2001 – 26yrs old  
> Pregnancy : 2002 – 27yrs old  
> Loki/Toni Relationship : 2007 – 32yrs old  
> Iron Man : 2008 – 33yrs old
> 
> **Stephen Strange:**  
>  Harvard Freshman Year : 1994 – 17yrs old  
> Graduation Year : 1999 – 22yrs old  
> SI Take Over : 1999 – 22yrs old  
> Bern Convention : 2001 – 24yrs old  
> Pregnancy : 2002 – 25yrs old  
> Loki/Toni Relationship : 2007 – 30yrs old  
> Iron Man : 2008 – 31yrs old

 

**December 16, 1991**

  Annie religiously ignored the sound of Howard and Maria hurrying around, choosing instead to concentrate on the ivory keys beneath her fingers. She hummed along, the words running in her head as easily as the notes to the music.

  “ _Try to remember..._ ”

  Her hands slammed down on the piano immediately, and she left the seat in a single smooth movement.

  Maria sighed and stopped singing. “Behave yourself, Antonia,” she rebuked. “Now get up and say ' _goodbye_ ' to your father and myself.”

  “I don’t really see the point,” the young girl answered. “I mean, I came home last night, and we never really said ' _hello_ ' to each other, either.”

  “Jesus Christ, I’d gotten used to the silence and lack of insolent behaviour for months,” Howard muttered, entering the room.

  “Trust me, _sir_ , I’d rather spend Christmas at boarding school, too,” Annie replied flippantly. She swung her legs up to hang over the side of the couch. “Where are you guys going anyway?”

  “Your father’s taking us to the Bahamas for the week,” Maria said.

  “With a quick stop at the Pentagon, I'm sure.”

  “You know, Antonia, it’s said that sarcasm is a metric of true intelligence,” Howard spoke mockingly. “If that’s true, I’m sure you’ll be a great person, someday.”

  “Oh, in comparison to you? Sure, it’s my life goal to be better than you.”

  “That’s enough, young lady,” Maria said sternly.

  Annie snorted, uncaring, but carefully keeping out of Howard’s reach, eyeing him in disguised apprehension out of the corner of her eye. To her immense relief, he simply left the room and Maria followed, throwing a quick glare to her daughter on the way.

  Annie sighed, closing her eyes. She opened them again, when she heard a well-loved voice say, “If it’s any consolation, young miss, _I_ miss you when you’re not here.”

  “Jarvis,” she said with a smile, running up to hug him. “You’re going to drive them to the airport?”

  “Indeed.” The tall man chuckled at her pout. “I assure you, after I return, you and I shall go visit the Sousa's, yes?”

  “Oh yes, let’s,” Annie agreed delightedly. “Will Sharon come over too?”

  She chattered on about her plans, missing the way Jarvis smiled fondly when her fast words slipped into a London accent identical to his own.

  “I'm afraid I need to be leaving now, miss,” he cut in, regretfully. “But I promise, we will continue once I return.”

  Annie blushed, embarrassed at her habit of ranting. “Okay. See you then.”

  Jarvis looked around quickly. Seeing her ‘ _parents_ ’ weren’t around, he pulled her into a tight hug, and, for a brief second, Annie missed the way Ana, Jarvis' dear wife, would have embraced her from behind.

  “I'll be back soon, my dear girl,” he said softly. “I love you.”

  She didn’t reply- _couldn’t_ \- not _yet-_  but she tightened her hold and trusted that he would understand.

 

* * *

 

  Edwin watched helplessly, his breaths coming harsh and ragged as the masked figure wrapped a hand around madam's neck, squeezing the life out of her. He could hear her husband’s name leave her lips in a last sigh, just as sir's last words had been pleas for her life.

  As the assassin approached him, Edwin closed his own eyes tight. For a moment, his mind wandered frantically for a memory of Ana; beautiful, wonderful and as much in love with him as he with her. But instead, he settled on a short brunette with kind eyes and a shy smile, gazing at him with trust and adoration. His daughter, in a way she had never been Howard and Maria’s.  
_Forgive me, my dear girl_ , he thought, before his vision went blank.

 

* * *

 

  Peggy stared blankly through the glass wall at the three bodies currently being examined.

  “Director.”

  She turned to see her to-be successor, Nicholas Fury.

  “The traffic camera was shot, and the footage was hacked into, then deleted,” he said.

  “There's no way to recover them?” She asked, hoping against hope.

  “No, ma'am. The only person- _alive_ \- skilled enough to recover it would be the Stark kid.”

  Peggy felt her face harden into a glare. “Antonia Stark is not to be touched,” she intoned strictly. “Otherwise, the consequences will not be pleasant for anyone, is that understood?”

  He pursed his lips. “Understood, ma'am.”

  She turned back towards the glass. “Put everyone we can spare on this case,” she ordered. “I want the man responsible for this.” She thought carefully for a few seconds. “Contain the public fallout. As far as the world knows, it was an accident. I want a false autopsy report on my desk within the hour.

  “Yes, ma'am,” he agreed, obviously itching to ask _why_. But he left without a word and Peggy allowed herself a sob, pressing a hand to her mouth in an attempt to silence it.

  Howard was _gone_. Granted, they hadn't spoken much since Hank retired, and she’d disapproved of the way he and his wife treated their daughter, but... He had been her friend. She'd cared for him. And, oh good Lord, _Mr Jarvis_.

  Blinking back tears, she hurried to her office, only to find her husband already there.

  “Peggy,” he sighed, pulling her into a hug. “Are you alright?”

  She nodded, quickly wiping her tears away. “I'm ruling it as an accident, for the public,” she spoke through her sniffles. "It'll upset his company's board and the political agendas, if it’s let out that there was foul play involved.”

  _Ever the practical_ , he thought. “What about Annie?” He reminded. “Who's going to tell her? And we are going to adopt her, right?”

  She cringed at the reminder of the unpleasant task of breaking the news to the girl in question. “Yes we are, if she’s alright with it. You and I are going over to the mansion now. We're telling her the same story, though.”

  Daniel’s eyes widened. “Peg, are you nuts? You want to lie to the kid about her parents' death?”

   “Daniel, you and I both know how she'll react,” Peggy stressed. “She'll want to know who did it, she'll try to find out on her own, next thing we know, she's getting involved with SHIELD business and after I retire, which is very soon, she'll take it upon herself to hunt down the perpetrator, and until she does that, she's not going to rest.”

  “Peggy, she's just _thirteen_ -“

  “And she's already smarter than her father was!” she pointed out. “And she’s twice as clever as me, you and several top agents of SHIELD put together. She'll run circles around us all if we let her know the truth.”

  Daniel exhaled loudly, knowing she was right.

  “She’s thirteen, like you said,” she went on. “But she's so much more grown up than she deserves to be. I just want her to be a kid for as long as possible, Daniel. We’ll tell her when she's a little older. 21, that’s when she comes into possession.”

  He sighed, but nodded his agreement.

 

* * *

 

  The weight of the hand gun was more grounding than it had any right to be, giving a distracting background music to the Dutch verbs running through her head.

  _Ik ga- jij gaat- wij gaan_

_Ik ging- jij ging- wij gingen_

_We eten- we aten- we hebben gegeten_

_We slapen- we sliepen- we hebben geslapen_

  The sound of the doorbell echoed down to the shooting range Howard had long ago built beneath the mansion.

  Taking off the ear muffs and quickly placing the gun and blanks back where they belonged, Annie dashed up to greet the guest. It was too soon for Jarvis to be back yet, so it had to be someone else.

  She was mildly surprised to find her godmother and her husband standing in the foyer.

  “Aunt Peggy,” she greeted with a beam. “Uncle Danny, hey. Mom and Dad left a while back, but Jarvis and I were about to come over to your place right after he came back.”

  The grown-ups exchanged loaded glances and Annie, perceptive as any child, immediately knew something was wrong.

  “What is it?” She asked cautiously. “Pegs?”

  “My dear.” Peggy was the one to speak. She cleared her throat, coming to kneel in front of her. “There was an accident. On the way to the airport.”

  Annie’s world froze at the soft words. Any child her age would have denied the news, acted uncomprehending to delay the grief. But Annie was too practical, too _smart_ for that. She took one look at Peggy’s glittering eyes and the tight set of her mouth and she knew the truth.

  “But... _Jarvis_ ,” she whispered. “He was coming back. He said... _He was coming back_.”

  Peggy felt a fist clench around her heart. “I'm so sorry, love,” she said, choking back her sobs.

  Annie shook her head. “I didn’t tell him,” she said, her voice shaking.

  Peggy furrowed her brow in confusion. “Tell him what, love?”

  Annie’s glassy eyes fixed on hers with a blank gaze. “He called me ' _my dear girl_ ' before he left,” she whimpered. “And he said he loved me. I... I didn’t... _I_ _didn’t say it back_.”

  “Oh, Annie,” Peggy sighed, holding her upper arms.

  “No, _no_ you don’t get it,” Annie protested, tears slipping down her face, as she weakly struggled against Peggy’s hold. “I wanted to call him ' _dad_ '. He _was_ my dad, and I never told him!”

  “Oh, child,” Peggy sobbed, and pulled her into a hug. "He knew. I promise you, he _knew."_

 

* * *

 

**Eight months later:**

  The drive home was silent, until it wasn't.

  “You haven't said a word since you got sent to the office,” Daniel said, glancing at Annie.

  She frowned at him, looking up from her hands. “I thought... Do you mean you believed them?”

  He shook his head. “It's only been eight months since, you know, the _adoption_. But I've known you since you were born.” He lifted a shoulder casually. “I know you wouldn't have hit him without a good reason. I just wanna know what it was.”

  She took time to answer. “He said to me: _So did your dad drink himself to death because he got you as a kid?_ ”

  Daniel sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Jarvis wasn’t a drunk,” she went on softly.

  “You know he was talking about Howard, right?” He asked to check.

  She nodded. “Yeah. But my dad was _Jarvis_. And he wasn't a drunk. Neither are you.”

  He tamped down the surge of pride and love at the implications of her words.

  “I slapped him,” she sighed. “I won't do it again. I'm sorry.”

  “Hmm. You shouldn't have slapped him.” He waited until she seemed to wilt before continuing. “Punch them next time.”

  She gaped.

  “Make sure your thumb is across your knuckles, not inside,” he instructed, taking one hand off the steering wheel. “Always aim for between the eyes. Or the lower stomach if they're too tall. And if it's a guy, who's really bothering you, don't hesitate to go for his dick.”

  That got a small laugh out of her. “Aunt Peggy will be mad you said that,” she reminded with a grin.

  He snorted. “Don't let her fool you. She's said a _lot_ worse when she was prohibited from missions because of injuries.”

  She giggled and he felt happiness permeate his being.

 

* * *

 

  “You're saying that you want me to _train_ her?!”

  Daniel nodded, calm as ever in the face of Peggy’s fiery demeanour.

  “Howard taught her how to fire guns,” he said. “But that's not always an option. She has to learn how to defend herself. And, you’re forgetting that she's a _Stark_. Her life is _always_ going to be dangerous. She needs to know she never has to depend on someone else to save her.”

  Peggy froze, grey hair falling over her shoulders as she stared at him incredulously. “She needs to know how to _kill_.”

  He gazed back at her sadly.


	2. Know Thyself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanon that Everett Ross curses a lot, because it's technically Martin Freeman...

**1992**

  Sharon was a feisty girl with curly blond hair, a near mirror image of her mother. But her stubbornness and temper was all Carter. And there was Eleanor Ross' son, Everett, Sharon’s new best friend. He was almost the perfect counterpart to Sharon: calm, collected, mature.

  They were both spending the weekend with them.  
Annie felt a little lost as she watched them quietly, even though she'd gotten along with Sharon before pretty well, though she didn’t show it. They seemed so close and comfortable with each other. And they were both sixteen, almost three years older than her.

  “Annie, dear,” Aunt Peggy's voice came from behind her. She looked around to see the elderly lady watching her. “What in earth are you standing here at the door for? Go in and say hello to them.”

  “Why can’t they say hello to me?” She asked. She was starting to sound more like Aunt Peggy these days, her proper London accent coming out more often. “Even Sharon didn't.”

  “Because they’ve forgotten, while doing their homework,” she explained. “Go on in. Sharon loves you and Everett is a very nice person.”

  Swallowing a little tentatively, she walked in. Sharon was the first to see her. “Annie!” She greeted with delight. “Ev, this is my little cousin, Annie. Ann, this is my best friend, Everett.”

  “Hi,” she said with a wave, easily switching back to an American accent.

  Everett smiled at her. “Sharon's told me about you.” There was a note of quiet sympathy in his voice, which she had, sadly, grown accustomed to hearing from people. “Apparently, you're quite the little genius.”

  She snorted. “That's an understatement.”

  He laughed. “Alright, smart-ass-“

  “Ev, language! She's thirteen.”

  “Oh shut up, she's fine. Anyway, Annie, if you're a genius...” he passed her his homework and textbook, pointing to a marked question. “I'm stumped on that one. Solve it.”

  Annie frowned. She could see from his friendly smile that he wasn't mocking her, but simply kidding, not really expecting her to solve it. She looked at the problem, the cogs in her brain already working, as she thought ahead of the best way to present the answer dramatically.

  Picking up his pen, she flipped to the last page and wrote down the answer. “Check it,” she suggested.

  With a sceptical eyebrow, he did as said. His eyes bugged out when the numbers matched. “But...” He stammered. “ _How_?!”

  Sharon giggled as Annie said, “You weren’t calculating with the cotangent of X.”

  He looked at her with wonder. “You're my new God,” he announced. “Goddess Annie. Wait.” He frowned playfully. “ _Annie_ doesn't suit you, all that well. You don't seem like an _Annie_.”

  She tilted her head curiously. “It’s short for _Antonia_.”

  “ _Antonia_ ,” he repeated. “Nice name, but no. I think you look like a _Toni_.”

  “ _Toni_?” The name curled around her tongue, sounding strong and sure.

  “Sure,” he said. “Think about it. It sounds like a boy’s name, so people would be surprised to know you’re a girl. Just like, people wouldn’t expect a kid to be so damn smart, so they're surprised when you're smarter than they are.”

  “It is nice to surprise people,” she agreed. “ _Toni_. I like it, sounds nice. _Toni Stark_ has a nice ring to it.”

  Sharon gasped, Everett gaped and Annie realized she’d made a mistake.

  “ _Stark_ ,” he repeated slowly. “You're Howard and Maria Stark's daughter.” He turned to Sharon. “That something you were gonna tell me anytime soon?”

  She sighed. “No. I’m sorry, but I really couldn’t.”

  He stared at her for a while, then at the young girl. After a few moments, he gave a small smile. “I guess I understand. I’m sorry, Sherry. Sorry, Annie.”

  She shook her head. “I'm Toni, now. I like _Toni_.”

 

* * *

 

  “You have to tell us another story!” Sharon insisted from her place on the carpet. “Come on, Pegs. Pleeeeeease!”

  Peggy laughed as Everett sheepishly joined in, though Annie remained mainly silent. She gave in, starting a story they had all heard a dozen times.  
Daniel watched from his armchair. He sometimes wondered if Everett and Sharon wouldn’t have had their hearts set on becoming SHIELD agents if their parents hadn’t been as well. He wondered, if Peggy had refused to start their training early, would they have found some other way to learn.

  And now, an added thought: if Annie had been born as their child, without the Stark name a tragic weight on her tiny shoulder, would she also have wanted the same life for herself?

  It had been almost half a year since the accident. She’d recovered quickly, though she still had moments when the grief of losing Jarvis hit her hard.

  She had taken to Peggy’s strict training regime like a duck to the water. Fighting came to her naturally and, though she didn’t have nearly as much experience as her cousin and her best friend, she had quickly grown as skilled as them. He knew Peggy planned to pass all three kids on to Eleanor Ross to teach them to handle firearms, not that Annie needed it, and then possibly Harold Campbell for martial arts, which she did need, once Peggy herself had taught them all she could.  
All retired agents. All as far away from SHIELD as was possible, given who they were.

  “Uncle Danny?”

  He looked down to see Annie had scooted over to the foot of his armchair, resting her chin on his good knee. “Yes, dear?”

  “I was reading the papers,” she began. “It said Mr Stane is taking care of SI. But it’s mine, right? What if he does things I don’t want?”

  “Like what?” He wanted to know what her thirteen year old mind had come up with for the company.

  “I heard him and Howard talk about biochemical warfare once,” she admitted in a hushed voice. “That's bad. I don’t want that. I don’t want to make weapons at all.”

  He thought about what to say. “Well, honey, the company is yours, but you can’t do anything about it till you’re 21. Although, once you’re eighteen, you’ll be legally allowed to work, possibly as COO or HoD. You might have _some_ say then.”

  “But I’ll have no real power until I completely own it?” She scowled when he shook his head. “That sucks. First thing I do will fire Mr Stane. I don’t like him.” She looked up at him with impatience. “Why can’t I grow up a little faster?”

  He smiled, but he thought to himself that if she knew what he and Peggy would tell her at 21, she probably wouldn’t be so eager to reach that age. “All in good time, Annie,” he murmured.

  “No, I’m going to go by _Toni_ , now!” She exclaimed gleefully.

  Peggy stopped her story to look at her. “ _Toni_? Why on earth? What’s wrong with _Annie_?”

  “Everett says I don’t look like an _Annie_ ,” she supplied.

  Both adults turned their gazes at said boy, who shrunk into himself with a cheeky smile.

  “Oh don’t blame him, he’s right,” Annie said. “ _Annie_ is too girly and childish. I like _Toni_!”

  Peggy laughed. “Alright, go by _Toni_ , if you must. But to us, you’re always going to be _Annie_.”

  “I change my mind,” Everett announced. “I'm going to keep calling you _Annie_. Just to piss you off.”

  “Everett!” Peggy admonished. “Watch your mouth, young man.”

  “Oh, come on!”

 

* * *

 

  Annie struggled to consciousness. The first thing she was aware of was the dull throb at the back of her head, and the ropes binding her to a chair, her arms trapped uncomfortably at her sides. _Great_. _Kidnapped again_. She opened her eyes to see a small empty room, devoid of anything except her chair and two more. There were no windows, and the door was obviously bolted from the outside.  
She tried to think back to the last thing she remembered. She, Everett and Sharon had left the house for a walk. On the way back, they'd decided to pick up dinner. But then there’d been a sharp blow to her head.

 _Assholes_.

  Where were Sharon and Ev?

  Annie started fidgeting, trying to bend her wrists in a way that would let her loosen the knots. She wondered if there was any way she could break the chair, but that was a long shot. She didn’t have the skill or the strength in her small body to do something like that yet.

  The door opened and two men strode in, each of them dragging Sharon and Everett, the latter of whom was unconscious. Sharon looked worse for the wear, with a spectacular bruise on her jaw. Annie winced at the sight of them, but kept silent.

  As her friends were roughly deposited on the chairs and tied firmly, she decided it was time to talk. “I cannot believe you guys were stupid enough to kidnap three kids in the middle of a park.” She internally cheered when the taller of the two shot her a dark look. “I mean, I’m just a kid and I know better than to do that.”

  “It was an empty park, it was dark in the evening, and there were no streetlights nearby,” the shorter of the two answered smoothly. “Now unless you want to mess up that pretty face of yours, you should keep quiet. Your little friend was talking too much too.” He kicked Sharon’s knee, hard, and the blonde bit back a cry.

  “Can I at least know what this is all for?” Annie asked. “Because the first time, it was in revenge against How- my father, for ' _war-mongering_ '. And the second one was just for money.”

  “Well, we’re the second category,” Mr Small And Smooth said with a rakish grin. “Stark Industries wouldn’t want to lose the Stark heir, would they? Now I’m going out on a couple errands, and I’ll be back in a few hours. Until then, my friend here is going to stay in the house. He’ll bring you some food and water. Try not to make too much noise. He’s got a temper.” He turned to Mr Tall And Silent. “You'll be okay on your own?”

  “They're kids,” Mr Tall And Silent- TAS- said shortly. “I'll manage.”

  They left and Annie turned to her cousin. “Jesus Christ, are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she groaned. “Got a little sassy with them, so they found a way to shut me up. It hurts to speak now.”

  “Well, don’t speak too much then. What’s wrong with Ev?”

  “Well, they knocked us out first. He must have fought back and they hit him with a tranquilizer, I guess.”

  Right on cue, the brunet boy began to stir, coming to with a groan of pain. He snapped to awareness almost instantly, pain sending adrenaline through his veins to wake him. “What the fuck?” He gasped. “Where are we- oh.”

  “Yeah, _oh_.” Annie strained at her ropes. “Sharon, can you break the chair? You did it last time we trained.”

  “Yeah, I know, but, he might hear us.”

  “We’ll have to risk it,” Everett said. “Did they hit you?!”

  “I pissed them off. Hold on, okay?” She took several deep breaths, steeling herself. Then, in one swift motion, she kicked her feet off the ground, using the immediate momentum to tilt her chair back. It fell with a resounding crash. There was no way Mr TAS didn’t hear them. Within seconds, she had wriggled out of her ropes and hurried to untie Annie.

  “Come on, come on,” she muttered, her long nails catching painfully on the rough jute. The ropes fell away, and she moved to Everett to do the same. Annie stood, tensed and ready for Mr TAS to come through the door. He did, just as Sharon got Everett free, and Annie lunged at him. Taking advantage of the height difference, she punched him in the stomach once _(like Uncle Danny taught her)_ , then struck hard at the back of his knees, effectively making him fall over. In one smooth movement, she undid his gun from his holster and aimed it at him, safety clicked off in the same breath.

  “Sharon?”

  “Yeah, done, Ev's free.” They joined her, glaring at Mr TAS. “Okay, you tell us where the phone is, or you get shot,” the teenager snapped.

  Mr TAS looked at Annie with a smirk. “Just because you know how to fire a gun, doesn’t mean you’re going to do it. You’re not going to shoot me, young miss.”

  “Don't call me that,” Annie snarled, the title disturbing her, though he probably had no idea what it meant to her. But she knew he was right. She could feel her hands trembling minutely, and she wanted to throw the gun away, to let Sharon or Everett hold it. But she _wouldn’t be able to shoot this man_ and he knew it.

  The sound of a door falling shut echoed down to them, followed by the Mr SAS yelling, “Sorry, I just forgot my wallet, I’ll be-“

  TAS abruptly surged up, reaching out to whoever was closest to him: Sharon. As she yelped in surprise, he flicked out a knife from his pocket, slashing it in her direction. There was a splay of blood drops, someone screamed and Annie fired.  
Footsteps were heard, loud and hurried. A second gun shot and a thud.

  There was silence all around.

  TAS and SAS both lay on the ground, a few steps away from each other, a hole in both their foreheads.

  Sharon scrambled away from them, from the bodies, clutching her bleeding arm.

  Annie made a small sound in the back of her throat, holding the gun limply.

  Everett was the first to act. He ripped off his plaid shirt and wrapped it around Sharon’s arm. “Don't let it loose or you'll bleed out.” Then he turned to Annie, the youngest one present, the girl he felt protective of, like a sister. “You saved Sharon,” he said softly, prying the gun from her fingers. “You saved us.” Turning her away from the body, he gently tugged her out the door, Sharon close behind them.

  She found the telephone.

  In an hour or so, Sharon was in the hospital room, a nurse stitching her arm up. Everett was in a separate office, talking to the police inspector, while Annie waited for her turn in the waiting room with all the adults. They were all wide-eyed and twitchy, all of them throwing worried glances at Annie.

  Peggy finally tapped her arm, motioning with a hand to follow her. Annie got up, trailing behind her with the air of a lost person.

  “Everett told me you shot them,” she began, not mincing her words.

  Annie nodded. She was surprised she didn’t flinch. In the last hour, she’d come to terms with the fact that her killing those men had saved all three of their lives. And she’d do it again if she had to. And that scared her more.

  “Well, we can’t have it on record that the Stark heir is capable of killing, even in self-defence, and has perfect aim,” Peggy said. “Ev understands. Which is why the official story is that, Everett had grabbed the gun from your hand and fired it just in time. His parents are well known as veterans of post-war turbulence and SSR, so it won't be a surprise. That’s what he’s saying in there and that’s the same thing you have to say too.”

  Annie felt the shock jolt through her system like electricity. “This is my fault,” she whispered. “They wouldn’t have been kidnapped if they hadn’t been with me.”

  “No,” she agreed. “But they would much rather be kidnapped with you, than sit at home worrying about you, and waiting for you to get home.”

  She swallowed, realising that she could have lost two more important people today.

  “You're a target, Annie,” Peggy sighed. “Always have been and always will be. I know how much you hate having bodyguards, but if you’re going to go out alone without protection, at least make sure to take some precautions.”

  “I didn’t realize,” she said softly. She hated the tears audible in her voice.

  Peggy hugged her, holding her close as she began to shake.

  “I'll teach you, I promise,” she said. “Now come, dry your tears, love. Everett is done with his interview, it’s your turn.”

 

* * *

 

  “Antonia Stark, right?” the aged police inspector asked with a comforting smile. “Come and sit, I just need to ask a couple of questions.”

  “It's Toni,” she interrupted, her voice strong and confident, as she did as instructed.

  “I'm sorry?”

  She met his confused gaze head on. “T-O-N-I,” she spelled it slowly, folding into the chair with a forced ease. “My name is _Toni_ Stark.”


	3. SCIENCE!

 

**February, 1994**

  “Alright, class, for this project you’re going to be working in groups of two. You’ve got three months till the end of the term to hand it in, so make good use of the time.”

  Bruce sighed in relief when the professor added that he would be pairing them himself. He had no one he could ask to be his partner, still as friendless as he had been at the beginning of the year. Now after, winter break, nothing much has changed.

  Then his name was called. “Banner, you'll be working with Stark. Unfortunately, she hasn’t yet returned from winter break. You might want to check with her friends to know when she arrives.”

  _Stark_? He was going to work with _Toni Stark_? Bruce had never spoken to the girl, even though they were easily the top students of their batch. In just half a year, they had gained a reputation. But where his was mostly clean and spotless, Stark had more... _Rumours_ floating about herself.

  That wasn’t why they weren’t friends though; Bruce was sure he wasn’t so shallow that he would avoid someone just because people talked about them behind their back. It was just that they were very different people.

  Bruce was awkward, unpopular, and was widely known as a geek. Stark, on the other hand, was the one who got wild at parties, talked back to the teachers, and snarked everyone into paying her respect as she deserved, in spite of being a good three years younger than everyone else in the class.

  The only thing they had in common was that they were both usually the smartest people in any room.

  Still, he’d have to work with her now. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be deliberately difficult. And if she was, he could only hope he’d have the patience to see the project through.

  Finding Stark’s friends turned out to be more difficult than he’d anticipated. Nobody seemed to know anything about where she was, or where she went during the holidays. Everybody he asked simply shrugged and advised asking James Rhodes. Bruce was nervous about talking to a second year student, but finally, he had no choice.

  “Rhodes?!” 

  A tall dark boy- man, really- frowned at him in confusion. “Yeah?”

  “Uh, I'm Bruce?” It came out like a question. “I was wondering when Toni Stark would be back from her holidays?”

  Rhodes’ eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to know?”

  “I've been partnered with her for a physics project,” he said, surprised at the protectiveness emanating from the man.

  He relaxed. “Yeah, she'll back Monday. You'll catch her at the front gates. 10 in the morning.”

  “10?” He repeated. “Classes start at 8.”

  He smiled. “So?” He walked away.

  Bruce blinked incredulously and went back to his own class.

  Monday came around and he was waiting at the front gates at 10. Luckily, he had the next hour free. He was oddly relieved when a posh-looking car stopped by. An elderly woman and a young girl stepped out, both dressed elegantly, in a way that screamed wealth, particularly the girl, who was obviously Toni Stark. Bruce watched patiently as the they exchanged a few quiet words, wondering who the elder lady was. She placed a quick kiss on Stark’s forehead and, with a goodbye wave, drove away.

  Stark stared after the car for a few seconds, then turned around and began walking towards the building. Towards him.

  “What are you standing here for?” She demanded, stopping in front of him.

  “Uh...” He blanked out for a few seconds. “I'm Bruce. Banner.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I got that. I asked what you’re doing here?”

 “We have a physics project,” he explained. “Professor Carlson partnered us.”

  She sighed. “Well, at least it’s _you_. Come on. We’ll work in my room, I haven’t got a roommate.”

  “Oh you don’t have class, either?” He asked.

  “No, I’ve got Mechanics, but who cares?” She flounced away and Bruce followed numbly.

 

* * *

 

  Toni Stark was a _genius_.

  Now, technically, Bruce had known this before. But now, working with her on their assignment, he realized the exact limit of her intelligence. There was none.

  She picked up concepts faster than they were taught, her mind seemed to race ahead of her fingers, and several times, her words petered off as her eyes took on a blank, dreamy gaze.

  And then there were times like this.

  “Toni, you need to eat,” he insisted.

  “I'm not hungry,” she mumbled, fiddling with wires.

  “Did you have dinner yesterday?” He already knew the answer. “Or breakfast?”

  “No, just coffee.” She looked up at the ceiling in thought. “And a handful of blueberries.”

  “Toni,” he grit out. “You need food.”

  “Not now. It's just transport. You go and eat if you want.”

  For a wild second, Bruce considered doing exactly like that. But he'd been working with Toni for almost a month now and could admit to a little... _Fondness_ for the younger girl who always seemed to be holding something back.

  “Toni, at least come with me to the cafeteria,” he requested. “I don't like eating alone.”

  That got her attention. She peered up at him curiously. “Why me? Can't you ask one of your friends?”

  _Alright, truth time._ “I don't... Have any,” he admitted. “Friends, that is.”

  Something about her annoyed gaze softened. “Okay,” she sighed. “Let's get you fed.” She got to her feet and stumbled, blinking rapidly. “Hunh. Maybe I do need food.”

  Bruce rolled his eyes and put his hands on her shoulders, gently guiding her out the door. “That's right, genius. And then you’re going to get some sleep.”

 

* * *

 

  “Toni?” He knocked on the door several times, wondering if she was asleep. But there was a muffled yell, a crash, and the sounds of something being dragged over the floor. “Uh, Toni? You okay?”

  The door flew open to reveal Toni looking up at him with a wide beam. “Come in,” she cheerfully announced, moving aside.

  Bruce stepped in and stopped short at the sight of the chaos. He’d been here just two hours ago, and it had been fine. What the hell had happened in two hours?

  “Yeah, I know,” Toni said, rolling her eyes. “I was just trying to clean up.”

  Bruce shook his head. “Come on,” he sighed. “I'll help you. Shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes.”

  After a second of blankness, she threw him a shy, grateful smile and Bruce automatically returned it. As they began clearing up the mess of wires and tools and metal parts that he couldn’t immediately identify, Bruce wondered why Toni always looked so surprised when he did things for her. Simple stuff, like reminding her to eat, forcing her to rest, offering to help with everyday things.

  Once, he recalled, he’d exclaimed, “Jesus, you’re _brilliant_!” when she’d shown him an idea for their project, and she’d frozen up, staring at him like he was her next math problem.

  “What’cha thinking, Curly?”

  He looked up from the wires he was rolling to see Toni looking at him in that way again. _I was wondering if you’re as lonely as I think you are._ “Nothing,” he lied, avoiding her eyes. “Just... What exactly were you doing? That made the room such a mess?”

  To his surprise, she blushed. “Just... A project. Of my own.”

  “Oh? What is it?”

  She shrugged stiffly. “Artificial intelligence.”

  “No way!” He exclaimed. “Can I see it?”

  She considered for a second. “Yeah, I guess.” She walked over to the closet and rummaged around the very back of it, struggling to pull out a haphazard-looking metal contraption, with a clawed extension and a camera lens at the top. Toni powered on her computer, opening up a black screen and tapping some keys.

  The contraption whirred to life, it’s claw clicking and snapping in Bruce’s direction. 

  “Bruce, meet DUM-E,” Toni said, coming to stand near him. “DUM-E, this is Bruce. He’s a friend, okay? Be nice.”

  Bruce tentatively reached a hand out, unsure, to pet it. Instead, DUM-E extended his claw, grasping Bruce’s fingers and making my him gasp in pain.

  “No, let go of him, right now!” Toni scolded and Bruce's hand was released. “Sorry about that,” she said sheepishly. “There's still some glitches I need to fix, I have to teach him control and regulation. And,” she sighed. “I was... Drunk, from Sunset’s party, when I built the body. I thought about rebuilding the frame, but... He liked it too much. It didn’t seem right then.”

  “He's amazing, though,” Bruce admired, massaging his hand, careful not to react to the fact that, at fifteen, Toni had a propensity for alcohol. DUM-E bumped the face of the lens into Toni’s shoulder and, as she smiled fondly at it- him- Bruce realized he was partly right. Toni wasn’t alone, but she felt lonely because of who she was. And this, creating wonders like DUM-E, was her solution.

 

* * *

 

  Their project was a massive success, which, if Bruce was being honest, was no surprise. On the last day of the school year, Professor Carlson proudly displayed it to the entire assembly of students. There was scattered clapping from their peers and impressed applause from their seniors and others teachers.

  But the best part, for Bruce, was when Toni shot him a wink and a grin, which he returned whole-heartedly, though he couldn’t help but wonder why her eyes suddenly looked so sad.  
Mostly, Bruce just felt elated that he finally had a friend.

 

* * *

 

  
**September, 1994**

  Bruce's first instinct, as he entered the cafeteria, was to look for Toni. Thankfully, he found her, sitting alone at a corner table, food untouched on the tray in front of her, eyes fixed on a book.

  “Hey.” He sat down across from her. “What’cha reading?”

  She looked at him in confusion. “Uh, what are you doing here?”

  “I'm sitting with you.” He raised an eyebrow in question. “Were you waiting for someone else?”

  “No.” She shook her head in quick motions.

  “Just... Didn’t expect to see you here.”

  He blinked. “I study here,” he pointed out.

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know that.”

  “So....?”

  She sighed in frustration. “Oh, nothing. Eat.”

  “You first.”

  She shot him a glare, taking a vicious stab at her salad with a fork.

  “What did that poor salad ever do to you?” He wondered.

  She ignored him, but there was a little smile hovering at the edge of her lips.

 

* * *

 

**November, 1994**

  Bruce was in his Practical Biology class, when his phone buzzed. He ignored it at first, but then it buzzed another four times consecutively. Now a little concerned, he inched it out of his pockets, grateful for the high table that hid him from his professor.

_-I’m getting bored.-_

_-Are you in Bio?-_

_-Skip class.-_

_-I need company.-_

_-Bruuuuuuce? You there?-_

  He bit back a sound of frustration, rapidly typing back without looking at the screen as much as possible, a handy trick he’d learned from Toni herself.

  _-No.-_

_-Entertain yourself.-_

_-I'm not skipping class for you.-_

  He waited for the inevitable reply. It came before the minute was up.

_-I need help.-_

  Bruce sighed. Toni didn’t ask for help. Not unless it was really beyond seriousness.

  “Sir.” He raised a hand, drawing everyone’s attention towards him. “I'm not feeling very well.” It was a testament to his clean record that the teacher simply blinked in concern and excused him with a wave of his hand.

  Bruce hurried over to the dorms. Thankful, that almost everyone was at class, so no one would see him enter Toni's room _(it had a sparked a good few rumours the previous year; thankfully, they'd died down once they realized they were meeting for a project),_ he knocked on the door.

  Toni pulled him in almost instantly. “Please, don't be mad, but it's not exactly an emergency, except it kinda is, just hear me out for a second-“

  “Slow down!” Bruce half-yelled. “Stop. Rewind. Play.”

  Toni took a deep breath. “Stark Industries is completing a hundred years,” she explained. “As the CEO of SI, Obadiah Stane, the current CEO, is hosting a big party. As the Stark heir, I have to be there.”

  “Okay.” Bruce nodded slowly. “I don’t see where I come in, but go on.”

  “He's holding it in the Stark Manor, where I used to live.” She sat down beside him with a pout. “Stane wants me to bring a date. Rhodey needs to prepare for his military entrance exams, so he can’t come.”

  He considered. “You want me to be your _'date'_.” He nods thoughtfully. “You really think that’s a good idea?”

  She frowned. “Why not?”

  Bruce shrugged. “Well, you’re _you_.” He waved a hand to gesture her whole form. “You're _Toni Stark_. That might not mean much to me, but this party is gonna be full of people who’re looking to do business. Billionaires and businessmen. People you’ll be working with after several years.” He spread his arms wide helplessly. “I’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”

  For a few seconds, she stared at him. Bruce waited for her to finish her mental calculations for ten seconds, then snapped his fingers under her nose.

  She shook herself. “Don't worry,” she waved his concern away. “I'll teach you.”


	4. Daddy Issues

**December, 1994**

  “Whyyyyyyyyyy?! Bruce cried, as Toni poked him hard with a spoon. “Why did I agree to do this?”

  “Because I'm irresistible,” she said sweetly, then her voice grew stern again. “Now, go through them again.” 

  “Don't you have a girlfriend?” He grumbled. “Can't you take her with you?”

  Toni scowled. “Stane asked me to bring someone ' _appropriate_ ' A _girl_ friend definitely doesn’t make the cut. I would have brought her along anyways, if only to piss the old man off, but Aunt Peggy’s making me play nice.”

  “Aunt Peggy?”

  She softened. “My godmother. She and her husband, Uncle Daniel, took me in after, you know, the accident.” There was a nostalgic look in her eye, that lasted for a split second, then she glared at him. “Don't distract me. Go through them all.”

  Bruce sighed. “Dinner fork. Salad fork. Fish fork-“

  She poked him again immediately. “No, that’s the fruit fork!”

 

* * *

 

  “Hey, Bruce?”

  Bruce looked up from his textbook to see his roommate looking at him quizzically. “Yeah?”

  “You're friends with Stark, right?”

  He narrowed his eyes. This wasn’t the first time he'd heard Will mention Toni, and he'd never liked what he'd heard. “Ye-es.”

  “Is she single? Do you know, by any chance? I mean, if you’re not dating her?”

  He sighed. “Will, she’s dating Sunset Bane.”

  Will deflated. “Oh. I thought that was just a rumour. Damn, I’d have liked a shot with her.”

  Bruce glared. “Could you try talking with some respect? You do remember she’s under-age?”

  “Please,” he snorted. “Like anybody cares about that. Least of all Stark.”

  Bruce saw red.

 

* * *

 

  Toni burst into his room. For a second, she took in the scene: Bruce curled up on his bed with his notes, Will lounging with a puzzle, both of them determinedly not looking at each other. Then she snapped her fingers at the latter. “You. Out. Now.”

  “Who do you think you are?” Will sneered. The effect was somewhat ruined by his bandaged nose. “You’re a fifteen year old, who would-“

  “Do you want to lose a few teeth?” Toni asked. Maybe it was the unmistakable fury in her eyes, maybe the calm, cold way she spoke; Will shut his mouth and slammed the door close behind him.

  “What were you thinking?” She demanded of Bruce. “Punching him because he made a few rude comments?”

  “He was talking about you,” Bruce shot back. “What was I supposed to do, let him keep talking?”

  “Preferably, yes!”

  “He was talking about you!” He repeated. _Why doesn’t she get it?_

  “So?”

  _Oh_. Bruce took a calming breath. “You're my friend, Toni,” he said quietly. “You’re my only real friend.”

  She exhaled loudly, slowly coming to sit beside him. “You don’t have to defend me,” she said softly. “That isn’t... It’s not your job to defend me.”

  He nodded. “I know. It’s not a job. It’s a choice.”

  “Thank you,” she said quietly.   
“That's better as a response.” Then he frowned. “Doesn’t Sunset have to deal with stuff like this too? Since you’re technically jailbait?”

  Toni sighed. “She did. Not anymore.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We broke up.”

  For a few seconds, Bruce stared at her. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, blinking rapidly. “Just fine.”

  “Can I know I why?” He asked softly.

  “I... She decided I... That it wasn't worth the comments from everyone else.”

  Bruce could read between the lines. “She didn't think _you_ are worth it.” When she didn't reply, he felt anger boil up again. “I’m going to go talk to her.”

  Small hands pushed him back immediately. “Absolutely not,” she ordered. “You're staying right here.”

  Bruce’s slumped back. “Fine,” he said grudgingly. “But you have to stop underestimating your own worth.”

 

* * *

 

  “Toni!”

  She looked up at him in alarm. “What, what's wrong?” She paused, then gave him a once-over. He was wearing a black dinner jacket, perfectly hugging his narrow shoulders. “You look great,” she said appraisingly. 

  “Toni,” he spoke slowly. “This is tailored.”

  She smiled. “I sized you up when we first met.”

  He made a face, then stepped back into the bathroom, surveying his reflection. “So this is what you want me to wear at the party? Really?”

  “Yep. You have to look the part, if you don't want them to hound you like a pack of dogs.”

  “You’re great at reassuring people. _Not_.”

  “Only for you, Brucie Bear.”

 

* * *

 

**February, 1995**

  Bruce felt jittery. For starters, he was in a suit, more expensive than all the clothes he owned put together. He was in a an actual limousine, with Toni sitting next to him in a golden dress that set off her olive skin. And third, he was on his way to a party full of billionaires and celebrity businessmen, held in the famous Stark Mansion of all places.

  “Any last tips?” He asked, as they pulled to a stop in front of a beautiful white manor, lanterns and bright lights brightening the place.

  Toni paused at the steps leading up, looking up at guards on either side of the door, with an oddly bitter look in her eyes. “There's a fine line between being polite and a sarcastic asshole. You... You don't need to toe that line.”

  “What?” 

  She turned to him, her eyes burning. “A lot of them will still be able to tell that you're not from money like everyone else. Many of them will give you a hard time for it. Don't take their shit. They're rude to you, you’ll be rude back.”

  “Hold on.” He made a time out gesture with his hand, as they walked in to a grand hall. “Why would I want to get on their bad side? Wouldn't that just make things harder next time I'm at a party like this with them?”

  Toni looked at him strangely. “You really think there's gonna be a next time?”

  Bruce opened his mouth to answer, but then a a woman’s voice rang out. “Annie!”

  Both of them turned to see an elderly lady, the same one who’d come to see Toni off that first day he’d talked to her, was walking over to them, with a man, presumably her husband, right behind her.

  “Aunt Peggy!” Toni greeted with a grin, hugging both of them tightly. “Hey, Uncle Danny.”

  “Who's your date?”

  “Uh, this is Bruce Banner, he’s...” She faltered.

  “I'm her friend,” he cut in, extending a hand to the woman. “It's great to meet you, ma’am, and uh, sir.”

  “Just Peggy, dear,” she answered with a kind smile. 

  “So, you two just friends or...?”

  “ _Daniel_!”

  “ _Uncle Danny?!_ ”

  Both Toni and Mrs Sousa glared at the man, who in turn, was watching Bruce with a stern gaze.

  “No, sir,” he stammered. Them he took a deep breath. _Pull yourself together_ , he told himself. If he was going to be friends with Toni, he needed to be able to hold his own. “No, sir,” he repeated firmly. “We’re not _just_ friends. Toni's very special to me, sir, like family.”

  There was a silent stare down between them, before Mr Sousa nodded and smiled. “Alright, go mingle, you two. Annie, Obadiah’s talking to some investors over there, he’ll want you to show up.”

  “Okay, come on, Bruce.” She paused. “Are Ev and Sherry...?”

  “No, dear,” Mrs Sousa said with a soft smile. “They’re... Occupied.”

  Toni nodded and pulled Bruce by the hand. “I’m family?” She asked in a quiet voice.

  He smiled as they approached a man, rounded and with a visibly receding hairline. “Antonia, there you are,” the man greeted in a booming showman voice. “Come, come, this is Edward Rand and Corey Osborn.” He gestured to a young man with a smarmy smile and a tall, imposing guy with cold eyes, both of whom Bruce disliked immediately. In fact, looking around the group, at the expensive suits and hearty smiles, he couldn't find anyone who looked... Genuine. 

  “Good evening, Mr Rand,” Toni said with a sweet smile. “How’re your sons? Danny, wasn't it? And Norman?”

  “Danny's fine, Miss Stark,” one of them replied. “What about you though? The heir to the throne, so to speak, but not a single big news story about you in months.”

  “Well, you know me, I'm all about keeping it discreet.”

  “True, but you’ve got only two years until you’re 18,” Osborn said seriously. “I hope you have some ideas in mind for this company. After all, the future is in the hands of the young and bright like you.”

  Toni didn’t answer, just tapped her foot against his, and Bruce knew it was time for him to speak up. “Well, in that case, you people can all relax,” he cut in with a smile that he hoped was as perfect as Toni’s. “Us young and bright people will take care of it all.”

  The attention in the group was directed to him, and he prided himself on Toni’s small proud wink. 

  “And who are you?” The balding man, whom he guessed was Obadiah Stane, looked at him with hard eyes.

  “This is Robert Banner,” Toni introduced. “One of the top students in our batch and my good friend.”

  “Just ' _one of the top_ '?” Bruce questioned.

  “Yes, just _one_ of them, Bruce.”

  “And, what exactly, does your father do, Mr Banner?” Rand asked.

  He stiffened, only slightly. “You wouldn’t know of him, sir, he’s been dead for over a years.”

  His pleasantly spoken words stunned everyone into silence and in their stupor, Toni took hold of his elbow and dragged him away from the crowd. “Come on,” she said. “We've mingled, now we can get away from these vultures.”

  He let her take him up a set of winding stairs. “I didn’t know about your dad,” she said.

  He shrugged. “Well, he was an asshole. He beat my mom, made her feel like shit all the time, when all she did was to keep him happy. And every time, he’d make her feel like everything was her fault. I was almost glad when she died. Maybe she’d finally get some rest, you know.” His voice grew very quiet at the end.

  Toni didn’t say anything, just opened a door quietly. Bruce followed her inside, freezing momentarily when he saw the chipped wall paint, the mess of wires and tools under the bed and a photograph on the bedside table. A photograph of a kid laughing between two adults, who were looking at her in amusement and love.

  “That’s Jarvis,” he heard Toni say. She was looking at the photo with a blank face. “And his wife, Anna. He was the family butler, and she was the cook and in-charge of the rest of the staff. They... They were my parents. Before Peggy and Danny.”

  Somehow, he sensed a story coming up. He sat on the bed gingerly. The whole room had an emptiness to it, like no one had lived here for a long time.

  Toni sat beside him. “Howard only ever hit me once,” she admitted. “I was... Twelve, I think. He never did it again, but I never stopped being terrified.”

  “What about your... Maria?”

  She scoffed, bitter. “Obsessed with trying to make the picture-perfect socialite out of me. Spent more time trying to ' _fix_ ' me, than actually _with_ me.”

  “Why had Howard hit you?” Bruce asked softly. He ignored the anger rushing in, the pain of familiarity, knowing that another person he cared so much for had been abused by the man who was supposed to love her.

  She shook her head. “I screamed at him about how he should get his head out of his ass and realize that _I_ was his kid, not _Steve fucking Rogers_.”

  _Right_. Captain America. Sometimes, Bruce forgot the exact connotations of Toni's last name.

  “He didn't even slap me, you know,” she mumbled. “No, he punched me instead. Broke my jaw. I hit my head on his desk.” There was a far-away look in her eyes, like she wasn't even aware of herself speaking. “Jarvis picked me up. He took me to my room and cleaned me up, but didn’t say a word, except to tell me to rest. Later, I sneaked out of my room. I could hear someone yelling, screaming and cursing. Then Aunt Peggy stepped out of Howard’s office.”

  “She sounds like an awesome lady,” he commented. 

  She started, then smiled. “You have no idea.”

  There was a sudden knock on the door that interrupted their quiet silence. Toni got up to open the door. Bruce stood as well, ready to follow her or, but there was a sharp _thwack_ and Toni crumpled to the ground in a heap. 

  “Toni?!” He yelled, but before he could move, a burly man stepped in, grabbing him in a headlock, impossible to escape. Bruce choked for a minute, until his head swam and his vision went dark.

 

* * *

 

  “Bruce! Bruce, wake up! Wake up, come on!”

  He groaned. There was a pounding in his head that made it difficult to think, or even see, but he was pretty sure that was Toni’s voice. Was he hungover? No, he was pretty sure he hadn’t drunk anything.

  “Bruce, listen to my voice, I need you to not panic, okay?”

  He managed to open his eyes, only to realize his hands were bound with something. Ropes. He began struggling immediately. “Toni! What- where are we? What happened, what’s going on?”

  Toni scooted over to him. She put her hands up in a gesture to calm down. “Relax,” she crooned. “I'm gonna get us out of this.”

  “This? What is this? Why aren’t your hands tied?” He demanded. Nothing was making sense. What had happened?

  “We’ve been kidnapped,” she stated.

  Bruce stared, then laughed. “Yeah, okay, I’m serious, Toni.” When she simply grimaced, he paled. “Wait- wait, _kidnapped_? What do you-“ The memory of the man who’d knocked them out in Toni’s old room came to the front of his mind. “Shit. Oh, _shit_ , Toni, what are we going to do?”

  “Like I said, we’re getting out of here.”

  “Why are you not freaking out?”

  “Because I’m the one who has to get us out,” she snapped. “Now, keep quiet, there are guards outside. I’m gonna untie you, okay?”

  He took a deep breath, as Toni worked at the knots, until they fell away easily.

  “Come on,” she said, helping him to his feet. 

  Bruce followed her to the door, where she raised a finger to her lips for silence. And then, she banged on the door, the sound reverberating throughout the small room. He almost panicked, but Toni squeezed his hand in comfort, just as the door opened.

  Toni didn't give them a chance to react. She jumped on the taller one of the two, legs wrapping around his hips and bringing her joined hands down on the top of his head. He fell to the ground and Toni went with the movement. As the other man took aim with his gun, she kicked out, hitting his ankles to make him stumble, then leaping up to disarm him and using the butt of the gun to knock him out as well.

  “Let's go!” She hissed.

  Bruce followed her out, too numb to do anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We should see Stephen in a few chapters more.


	5. Blood

  Whoever had said women can’t fight in a dress and high heels had obviously never met Toni, or whoever had trained her. She ran along the sides of the corridors silently, having handed her shoes to Bruce for holding, one hand clenched in a loose fist at all times, the other gripping the gun she’d taken from their guards.

  It was a scary image and Bruce wasn’t sure yet how he felt about it.

  Toni grabbed his arm, coming to a slow stop outside of an open room. There was a murmur of voices, too low for them to understand the topic of conversation. Toni raised a finger to her lips again and motioned for him to stay put. When he managed to nod in agreement, she simply slipped inside. Bruce didn't have time to wonder what was about to happen or worry about her safety, before there was a series of muffled gunshots, followed by stifled yelps and thuds. Then there was silence, again a low conversation. Another bang.

  Toni appeared, making him start in shock. “Hey,” she said quietly. “I've got the way out. Just follow me and try to be quiet, okay?” She handed him a wallet. “Put this in your pocket.”

  “What happened inside?” He asked in a whisper.

  She hesitated. “It's... Nothing you want to know.”

  She turned away before he could argue and he followed, but he couldn't resist sneaking a glance inside the room as they went. What he saw... That couldn't have been _blood_. And definitely no dead bodies.

  Toni led him down the hallway, stopping in front of a window. Pushing it open, a draft of cold wind blew in as she took a quick look outside. “Okay, there's a heap of snow outside-“

  “ _Snow_?!”

  “And we’re not that high up. Can you jump?”

  “ _Jump_?!”

  When she glared at him, he took a look outside. She was right: the ground wasn’t too far and they didn’t seem to be New York at the moment if the snow was any indication. “Should I go first?” He asked.

  She nodded and he sighed, before somehow clambering onto the sill and jumping- falling- to the ground. A second later, Toni landed near him, recovering much more neatly than him. 

  He stood up shakily. The building they’d been in was old, decrepit, falling to ruins. It was situated in the middle of an alleyway, with the sounds of cars and crowds from either end. The cold seeped through his tuxedo, which, he only just noticed, was utterly ruined, as was Toni's dress. 

  “Where are we?” He demanded. The panic from before was coming back now and the cold wasn’t helping. The fact that they had been _kidnapped_ was suddenly catching up to him.

  “Switzerland,” Toni replied, watching him. “The guy I talked to in that room said it’s been twenty-six hours since they took us from the manor.” She began walking towards the main road and he quickened his pace as much as he could.

  To his utter surprise, when they reached the populated area, she flagged a taxi. “ _Bringen Sie uns bitte zum Dolder Grand Hotel. Schnell,_ ” she spoke, completely oblivious to Bruce's mouth falling open at the foreign words spilling from her lips with ease.

  The driver gave them a look full of suspicion, no doubt because of their attire, but started driving with no complaint.

 

* * *

 

  All in all, it was a successful kidnapping.

  Successful in the sense that they’d escaped with no physical harm at all. It had been a pretty sloppy job, if she was being honest. But set up by someone with connections because there was no other way they could have gotten past the security at the Manor.

  The only problem? Bruce had been caught up in it too. He was sitting beside her, quiet, but there was a residual fear in his eyes that she could do nothing about. 

  This was it, then. Bruce had been a wonderful friend, just like Rhodey in his consistency and dependability, but with a shared passion for science. She loved him like family, too, she realized. But if she was being honest, she'd been waiting for him to leave. Like Sunset. Like any other kids had when they'd realized the baggage that came with her. At least, she'd been able to keep him from being hurt. Now, knowing Bruce, he'd try to let her down easy. Well, she'd save him the trouble.

  The taxi rolled to a stop at the gates of the hotel. “ _Danke. Halten Sie die änderung_.” She simply handed him the wallet and quickly tugged Bruce out. Walking into the luxurious reception area, she had to stifle a faint laugh. What a sight they must make. Two teenagers dressed to the nines, ragged, dirty and tired, strolling through the one of the most expensive hotels in the country.

“ _Gibt es hier jemanden, der Englisch sprechen kann?_ ” She asked. Her German was rusty, and she wasn't really a big fan of the harsh tones anyway.

  The uniformed man, much to his credit, didn’t react with more than a blink at their appearance. “Of course, ma’am, I can. How may I help you?”

  “I have a room here, bought under a card of this number.” She scribbled down a series of numbers on her hand and showed it to him. “I’d like that room opened up now, please.”

  The receptionist typed in the card number on his computer. Taking a second to compare the photo attached to it with her, he stepped back with a welcoming smile. “Welcome back, Miss Carter. The room is currently not in use, so we can have someone take you up there. Is there anything you require?”

  “Yes, I believe you have some bags of mine in storage? Bring those up. Have a two-course meal of anything you recommend sent up, servings for two. Also, can you send someone out to buy a change of clothes for my friend here? Causal, weather-friendly?” 

  The man jotted down the orders, nodding as he did. “Well, the food and your bags will be there in a few minutes. The clothes will take half an hour at most. Do you have any luggage, ma’am?”

  The formalities over, they were taken up to their room. There was already a bag waiting in there. Toni quickly pulled out a simple sweater and jeans. Gesturing for Bruce to get freshened, she quickly took the room and got dressed comfortably. When she came back out, the food was there, and Bruce, having taken off the jacket and tie, was sitting stock-still, his expression blank as he stared at her.

  “ _Miss Carter?_ ” He asked, softly.

  She nodded, sitting across from him. “Evelyn Carter. One of my aliases. It’s Aunt Peggy's maiden name.”

  “ _One of_? How many do you have?”

  She sighed. “Antoinette Jarvis. Maria Sousa. Ana Ross. Margaret Carbonell.”

  Bruce closed his eyes, struggling to understand. “What did you to do those men in the room?”

  She didn't reply immediately.

  He looked up at her. “Toni, what did you do? I'm not gonna judge.”

  She wanted to laugh. _He_ was trying to reassure _her_? Typical. “I killed two of them. Then the third one after he told me what I wanted to know.”

  His eyes widened comically. “You... You killed them?! How's that not bothering you?”

  “Because I've done it before,” she said softly.

  He frowned. “You've been kidnapped before,” he guessed. “That's why you were so at ease with the situation.”

  There was a knock at the door, startling them. Toni got up to open the door. There was a bell boy standing with a shopping bag in his hand. “Add the cost to my bill,” she murmured. Closing the door, she tossed the bag to Bruce, who was staring at her with an odd expression.

  “You said your aunt's maiden name is _Carter_?” He asked. “You don’t mean... _Peggy Carter_?!” At her answering nod, he buried his head in his hands again. “Your godmother is a former British agent from WW 2, who also worked with Captain America,” he said. “That's why you're so good at... At beating people up. She trained you.”

  “Along with three of her colleagues,” she added.

  He peeked up at her. “How good are you?”

  She sighed. “My cousin Sharon and our friend Everett are training as agents for a shadow agency I can't tell you about. I'm good to enough to go with them.” She couldn't tell him about SHIELD, not yet. “Go get changed. I'll call Aunt Peggy and let her know we're okay.”

  Bruce nodded, getting to his feet unsteadily. He looked at her in that odd way again. “Are _you_ okay?” He asked.

  She nodded, though there was a lump in her throat, because Bruce was still being his usual, kind, accepting self, and she wanted to savour it while it lasted. “Always am.”

 

* * *

 

  Toni was avoiding him. 

  After that night in the hotel room, after Toni had called her aunt and they’d been picked up in a private plane belonging to Stark Industries, they’d been taken to the mansion to rest for a weekend. He'd been under the watchful eye of Aunt Peggy, who’d spent half her time fussing over them, and the other half on the phone, quietly threatening Obadiah Stane, while Uncle Danny had doted over Toni, occasionally checking on him as well. But Toni herself had been like a ghost, flitting in and out of his sight.

  Come Monday morning, on Toni’s insistence, they’d been flown back to MIT. And now, a week later, Toni was avoiding him. She was never in her room when he knocked, she refused to meet his eyes in the classes they shared. He couldn't understand.

  Finally, frustrated with her ability to escape him, he went and knocked on Rhodes' dorm. The door opened to reveal the senior looking down at him with a frown. “It's 1:30 in the morning,” he growled.

  Bruce blinked. “I'm sorry. I didn't realize, I just... Hold on.” He peered at the older boy. “You weren’t sleeping.”

  “Because I was studying,” he pointed out. “Why are you here?”

  “I... I wanted to ask if you know where Toni is. She's been avoiding me.”

  Realization dawned on his face. “Yeah, I heard about the kidnapping.” He sighed. Instead of inviting him in, he stepped out, closing the door behind him. “What exactly do you want from Toni?”

  He blinked. “Hunh?”

  “I mean, why are you friends with her?” He elaborated. “For her money, or favours, or-?”

  “Shut up,” Bruce cut in quietly, fiercely. He felt enraged at the suggestion that he was using Toni for any reason at all. “I would _never_ hurt Toni like that. _Never_. She’s my only friend. And an amazing one. So much so that I would be fine having no one else ever again. Do you even realize how important Toni is to me?” He knew he should stay quiet now, but Rhodes had a blank look on his face that propelled him to speak. “I've always been alone, always the odd one out, not just because I’m likely to be the smartest guy in a room, but because I literally don’t know how to talk to people. Toni gets that. She understands. And she’s helped me through it so much, and she still thinks she’s not worth an effort. She still worries sometimes that I’ll just up and leave her and-“ He stopped.

  Rhodes suddenly had a small smile on his face. “Exactly,” he said. “She's worried that you won’t want anything to do with her anymore, that she’s too risky to be friends with. And she thought she’d save herself the hurt by cutting the ties first.”

  Bruce swallowed. “Look. You have to believe me that I really care about her, okay? She... She’s helped me through things I don’t deserve, and I want to help her through the stuff she doesn’t deserve. We’re good for each other.”

  Rhodes nodded. “Come on in,” he invited, opening the door again. “She's been camping out here to stay away from you.”

  He followed him in. There was another senior also studying in there, who simply gave them an odd look, as Rhodes moved to the bed. “Toni?” He poked at a bundle under the sheets. “Wake up, honey, there’s someone here to see you.”

  “What? No,” she groused, waking up groggily. “No, tell'em no. No.”

  “Come on, uppity up.” He forced her to sit upright, then moved away as she opened her eyes fully. “Now talk, you two. And keep it down, we’ve got exams to prepare for.”

  “Hey, Brucie,” she yawned out as he sat next to her. Then her eyes widened, all sleep chased away. “Bruce? What are you doing here?”

  “You absolute asshole,” he enunciated.

  She flinched. “I guess I deserve that.”

  “Yes, you do,” he confirmed. “You’ve been avoiding me and ignoring every attempt at conversation for a week now. Do you know how worried I was? People don't just get kidnapped and kill someone without being a little _not okay_ with it, even if they've done it before. I was out of my mind with worry. And then I was just annoyed, and I don’t get annoyed very easily. You are an asshole.”

  She shook her head slowly. “Are you saying... I'm an asshole for not talking to you?” Confusion coloured her tone.

  “Yep.”

  She squinted. “You want to be my friend?” She asked. “Like, even after the whole kidnapping thing?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Did you arrange it?”

  "No.”

  “Did you know about it?”

  “No.”

  “Could you have stopped it if you had?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did either of us get hurt, even just a scratch, while getting out?”

  “No.”

  “Is it your fault?”

  “... No?”

  “No.”

  She sighed. “Okay,” she breathed out. “Okay. Let's... Okay. I want to be friends too. Just... You know. In case you thought not.”

  “I know,” he answered, though, truth be told, her words relieved him.

 

* * *

 

**March, 1996**

  “Hey?” Bruce nudged Toni. “Your parents are here.”

  She turned with a frown that turned into a delighted smile as Peggy and Daniel approached them. “Hey, you guys made it!” She crowed.

  Both of them wrapped her up in a hug, Peggy pulling Bruce in as well. He joined in happily.

  “Come on, Stane is waiting for you on stage,” Peggy said, brushing Bruce’s curls and directing her words to Toni, even though her mouth twisted at the mention of the CEO. 

  They all looked towards the stage. Obadiah and a few other men were all seated, with one chair next to Stane empty. It was a press conference for the opening of another branch, Stark Solutions, and as it had been Toni's brainchild, she needed to be present, heritage notwithstanding.

  “Okay, I guess, I gotta go up,” Toni sighed. She quickly pressed a kiss to all their cheeks, Danny smoothing her hair-do before dashing up to her seat as fast as she could manage in her heels.

  “Still can't believe you kids are graduating next year,” Peggy mused, looking nostalgic. “Annie's turning eighteen soon, and you're already old enough to drink, aren't you?”

  “Time flies, Aunt Peggy,” he laughed. “Uh, Toni’s cousins aren’t coming? Everett and Sharon?”

  Both adults shot him sharp looks. “She's told you, hasn’t she?”

  Bruce nodded, knowing she was referring to the shadow agency Toni had called SHIELD. “Only very recently,” he mumbled, thinking back to the night he’d been crying over his first breakup, and had asked her to distract with some sort of wild story.

  She’d obliged, right after cursing the name of the guy he’d been crying over.

  “Well, I suspected as much,” Danny said bluntly. “Annie's not fond of keeping secrets from people she trusts.”

  A round of applause rose up as Stane began speaking. “The greatest thing about today’s youth is how immensely innovative they are,” he spoke into the mic. “Now, I know you’re all very eager to hear from the heir to the kingdom, so to speak, which is why I won’t be the one to speak first today. Instead, please, everyone, let’s welcome Antonia Stark here.”

  Toni sauntered up to the podium, looking much older than her seventeen years in the tailored suit she was wearing. “Thanks, Obie,” she drawled into the mic. “Though, I gotta say, I'm concerned with how much trouble you have remembering my name.” She winked at the audience. “Let's keep it _Toni_ , shall we? _Antonia_ is so boring.”

  The audience tittered with laughter, while Peggy chuckled at the slightly constipated look on Stane’s face.

  “Well, to put it simply, Stark Solutions is an idea to have some of the brightest minds in-"

  Everything happened fast.

  Toni’s words faltered. Bruce tensed as her eyes widened in fear. There was a sudden commotion to the right of the crowd. Peggy and Daniel tensed too, their hands flying to their hips where Bruce knew they both carried weapons. A loud _crack_ sounded. People screamed.

  Someone grabbed his arm. “Get Annie!” he heard Peggy scream as he was pulled away. 

  They were rushing through the crowd, Peggy’s grip never loosening. Another gunshot. Bruce turned on instinct, looking over to see Toni breaking free of her bodyguards, sheer panic on her face. In a split second there was a third gunshot. Just as Peggy pulled them both free of the masses, he spotted Toni freezing, red blooming over her stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... That happened. Any guesses what happens next? 
> 
> Clue: someone died.
> 
> I'm pretty sure I just made it very easy for you guys.


	6. No Turning Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might wanna go back and read Our Unfinished Tale before this chapter, just to jog your memory, because this chapter kinda dips into the whole Blessing Of Death mentioned in OUT.
> 
> Also, credits to BBC Sherlock for the whole mind palace thing. I have no shame in using that entire scene.

  _It took three seconds for her body to fall. In those same three seconds, in her last seconds of consciousness, she watched Danny freeze, a bullet too close to the heart to do anything but kill him, and crumple to the ground, his eyes still fixed on her in panic._

_Three seconds and Toni ran through the halls of the Stark mansion, trying desperately to run from inevitable death. “Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, stay calm,” she chanted._ There! _She threw open the door and collapsed inside._

  Bruce was by her side as soon as the shooter was apprehended. She was laying on the floor, the blood flow stemmed by the bullet itself, still stuck in her body. Her breathing was laboured and that was all he had time to see before she was being checked over by medics.

  Still panting, he looked up Peggy. She was standing upright, her eyes flickering between Toni's prone form and the body of her husband. Even Bruce could tell there was no saving him.

  The medics had just confirmed it.

  _Jarvis looked up at her. “There you are, young Miss,” he greeted with a smile. “It's been a while since I’ve seen you down here. You've grown.”_

_Toni gulped. “I've never had reason to,” she said. “I never... I'm sorry.”_

_“Don't be,” he soothed, standing up and drawing her close. “You're being very brave. You’re trying to survive. And I am so proud of you for that.” He peered at her. “Panic will kill you,” he reminded. “Find something that will calm you down.”_

_“I already have,” she said. “You’re here, aren’t you?”_

_He smiled at her, ever so fond and full of love. “Next is the pain, then. Control it.”_

_She shook her head. “I don’t want to leave you.”_

_He sighed, carding a hand through her hair. “You have to.”_

  “Ma'am, we’re taking the girl to the hospital,” one of the first responders said to Peggy. “Would you like to ride with her in the ambulance or follow in a car?”

  Bruce wondered if she was even in any state to reply. Her mouth was pressed together in a thin trembling line, her hand clenched into a fist, the other still gripping the hidden gun. “Aunt Peggy?” He whispered.

  She blinked. “I need to stay here and help. There's nothing I can do for Toni.” Her voice was hard, brokering no room for arguments. She turned to him. “Go with her, Bruce. Don't let her leave.”

  “Not on my life,” he swore. With a last glance at Danny- _oh god, Toni was going to be heartbroken_ \- he climbed into the ambulance.

_Toni found herself out in the halls again. She could feel the pain starting to shoot through her body. Stumbling a little, she hurried down the long, winding staircase. Down, down, down, no stopping. And then she came to a steel door._

_“Open up,” she screamed, banging hard on it. “Quickly!” The pain was starting to increase, even though there was no mark on her body._

_The door opened and she stumbled in. Howard Stark glared at her in utter disinterest._

  “Toni, hold on, please,” Bruce muttered. Toni's hand felt clammy in his own and he couldn't stop trembling, but he couldn't bear to let go either. His eyes were alternating between her pale face and the ECG with the slowing graph. “Come on, come on, please, girl, we’re losing you. Hold on, please.” His voice was thin and pleading and he wished on non-existent stars that she could hear him.

_“So you finally found a use for this room,” he said sarcastically. “Though I know you came close to using it that time your dear little friend was keeping his distance from you.”_

_She trembled a little and she hated herself for it. She’d never come down here, precisely for this reason that she was still terrified of him sometimes. Terrified that she’d see herself in him._

_“I am you,” he reminded, rolling his eyes. “Jesus, you're still stupid. I'm the part of yourself that you keep locked up.” He paused, then smirked. “Except now. Now, you need me.”_

_“I need to stop the pain,” she said in a weak voice. “There isn’t any other reason. I’ve been shot and I need to live.”_

_“Do you?” He asked, almost curious. “Do you really? Danny’s dead. Peggy won’t say anything, but there’s a good chance she’ll be blaming you for it. Bruce might finally realise how dangerous it is to be with you.”_

_“That... That's not true,” she argued, but she sounded unsure to herself._

_Howard shrugged. “Go ahead then. Stop the pain. Stop feeling. Stop being human.”_

_She stared at him, his words getting to her, like it had when he was alive. She could feel the pain abating, which meant they'd probably given her the anaesthesia up there, plus her own confinement in this room._

_But she was so tired. She didn’t want to climb back up all those stairs. And... And what if Howard was right? Danny’s death was her fault, she’d been heading for her, to get her to safety. It could just as easily have been Peggy or Bruce, or even Rhodey, if he’d been there. It could have been Sharon or Everett, if they hadn’t been training._

_The weakness finally getting to her, she collapsed against the wall, sliding down until her legs were stretched out in front of her._

  His heart stuck in his throat, he watched in horror as she flat lined. The doctors seemed to be checking her vitals once more, before one of them called for a defibrillator.

  “Wake up, you asshole,” he whispered furiously under his breath, blinking away tears. He was absolutely not going to cry for a person who thought it was okay to scare him like this. “Wake the fuck up, now!”

_“Toni?”_

  _It was a gentle voice. Toni opened her eyes hesitantly. There was a woman kneeling beside her on the dirt. Wait..._ Dirt _?_

  _She struggled to sit up, the woman watching without offering assistance, which she would have refused anyway. Looking around, she saw that she was on some kind of river bank. Except the water was dark, just like the any above them, and very silent. Around them, there were no trees or grass or anything, but on the horizon, she thought she could see a glowing lights and what looked like a castle._

  _Satisfied but confused, Toni turned her attention to the woman. She was tall, with a pale, but beautiful face, set with black eyes. Well, at least, the sclera was normal, otherwise it would have been really freaky._

_“Am I dead?” She asked. There couldn’t be any other explanation._

  _To her surprise, the woman cracked a smile. “Yes, you are. You don’t seem disturbed.”_

_She ignored the observation. It was correct; she didn’t feel scared or panicked. “So that makes you, what, a Grim Reaper?”_

_The woman seemed to think about to about it. “Grim Reaper? Yes, I suppose you could call me that.”_

_“What would you call yourself?”_

_This time, her smile was sharper, scarier. “I am Lady Death.”_

  _Toni blinked._ Okay _. “Death?” She repeated. “Like, Queen of the Underworld, Goddess of Hell?”_

  _The woman-_ Death _\- laughed. “Oh no, that’s Hela. She’s queen of Helheim, though she likes to tell people she's the goddess of death. She’s not a very pleasant person. I, on the other hand, am the actual personification of death,” she explained. “My job is to collect the souls of those whose time is up and send them over to her for safekeeping.”_

  _“Oh.” Toni stayed quiet for a few seconds, taking it in. “So, you're going to take me to this Hela, now?”_

_“No.”_

_She frowned. “No?”_

_“You still have much more important things to do in life, Antonia Stark,” she spoke softly. “And as much as I love you, child, I would like to not see you here again for another fifty years, at least.”_

_Toni tilted her head. “Okayyyyy, but are you even allowed to do that? And why am I your favourite again? And... And why me? Why not...” She swallowed with difficulty. “Can you bring back Uncle Danny?”_

  _Death smiled, apology in her eyes, and lifted a hand to place on her head._

  It worked. The heart monitor began beeping.

  _Toni opened her eyes to see Howard still there, looking at her with a bored expression. “So you are back? Decided to live, did you?”_

  _She got to her feet, not bothering with an answer._

_“Your loss,” Howard laughed cruelly. “You’re too soft for your own good. Just you wait. You'll give everything to this world; your time, your brain, your heart. It still won't be enough and you'll end up giving your life as well.”_

_This time, as she reached the door, she did answer. “Yeah, maybe, but what a way to go.”_

 

* * *

 

  The funeral took place on a beautiful day, when the sun was shining brightly and there was a light breeze. Toni stood between Everett and Sharon, their arms linked around each others’ waists. Peggy was standing behind them, one hand each on Sharon and Everett’s shoulders. Bruce and Rhodey stood a little way off, respecting their grief but at hand should she need them.

  It was a small service, attended by Danny’s old friends from SSR and SHIELD. Sharon gave the eulogy, breaking down in the middle, but soldiering through it bravely.

  When it was over, Aunt Peggy looked at them with a dead expression. “I need to go home,” she said. Even her voice was hoarse and without inflection. “You kids better go back to where you’re supposed to be.”

  They all nodded and watched as the elderly woman got into her car and drive off. The second she was gone, Toni turned to Bruce. “Go back to MIT, please,” she requested softly. “I have some things I need to do.”

  “Why does that mean I have to go?” He shot back.

  She tried to muster a glare. “Because I don’t want you involved in this,” she hissed, one hand moving up to clutch where he knew the bandages wrapped around her ribs.

  “Little too late for that.”

  She pressed her lips together angrily. “Fine,” she snapped. “But don't try to stop me.” She looked at the older ones present. “Where's the shooter being held?”

  “SHIELD HQ in the Triskelion,” Everett answered. “We passed your message on to Director Fury. He's expecting you.”

  She took a long breath. “Okay. Let's go.”

  Bruce followed them into the car waiting for them. He knew, if he asked, Toni would simply call him another car to take him to the airport along with Rhodes. But he couldn't leave her.

  So they were taken to a high-rise building, where each one of their identities was checked and recorded. They were met by a bald man, who seemed to have a permanent air of suspicion.

  "Director,” Toni greeted coldly.

  The man nodded in acknowledgement. “As per your request, no one’s been inside to talk to him. But we haven’t been able to ID him, either.” He led them to a glass window. On the other side of it, in an empty room, there was a man seated in a lone chair, his hands cuffed to the table in front of him.

  It was a typical interrogation room, Bruce realized, and that was exactly what it was about to be used for.

  “Are you planning on talking to him?”

  Toni nodded, shrugging off her black jacket. Nobody missed the gun hooked to her pants. She took a deep breath and walked inside the room.

 

* * *

 

  Toni didn't bother with the good cop – bad cop routine. She placed her hands flat on the table and leaned forward with a grim expression. It wasn't hard.

  “Do you know who I am?” She asked calmly.

  He nodded, fear and defiance in his eyes. “Toni Stark.”

  “Exactly.” She nodded. “You know the man you killed when you were trying to kill me? That was someone very important to me.”

  He eyed her warily. “I didn't know who he was. I never meant to kill anyone else. Just you.”

  “Well, you did get me,” she acknowledged. “But your aim definitely was bad. So...” She gripped the gun, pointing it at him very casually. “I'm aiming for the wall just above your ear. Unless you want my aim to be bad too, I suggest you tell my why you want me dead.”

  “I... I don't.”

   **Bang!**

  The man flinched the slightest bit, his eyes squeezing shut as the bullet whizzed past him. “I swear,” he spoke through grit teeth. “I just work on contracts. I was contacted by a man, who told me the when and how and who. All I did was follow through.”

  Toni hummed softly, her eyes hard. “Who was the man who contacted you?” The gun in her hand shifted to the side.

  “I don't know.”

   **Bang!**

  This time, the guy whimpered. A hint of smoke curled from the singed hairs on the side of his head. “I don't know!” He insisted. “We don't do names in this business. For fuck's sake, why _wouldn't_ I tell you if I knew?”

  Toni didn't bother with a reply. She lowered her gun, fired twice and left the room. The man stayed screaming in agony, bending over his bloodied hands.

  “Thanks, Nicky,” she muttered, once outside. She peered at him, suddenly noticing something that hadn’t really registered before. “What happened to your eye?”

  Fury shrugged, though he was watching her with no small amount of curiosity. “Lab accident,” he answered carefully. “One of Howard’s projects that he left to us.”

  “Howard's work was involved and I wasn’t told?!” She snapped. “Care to explain that?”

  “You're not eighteen,” he answered flippantly. “Until you are, you can't claim to hold ownership of SHIELD. And even then, unless you're an active agent, you're not cleared to know everything that goes on here. So unless you're planning to join...”

  She snorted. “Yeah, no thanks.” She turned to Everett and Sharon. “You guys won't tell Aunt Peggy about this, right?” She asked softly.

  Sharon hugged her. “Of course not,” she assured. “Cousins have to stick together.”

  “Besides,” Everett said. He was glaring at the injured man through the window. “We need to have some words with him too.”

  Toni nodded. After half an hour, when they were on a plane to MIT, she turned to Bruce. “Freaked out yet?” She asked in a whisper.

  For a long time, Bruce didn't answer. “I thought you were going to kill him,” he admitted. He turned to her with a wry smile. “I'm glad that you didn't.”

  “You’re glad that I made sure he'll never hold a gun again, basically taking away his livelihood?”

  He chuckled. “Sounds messed up, doesn't it? You freaked out by my insane ability to roll with everything?”

  She smiled too and closed her eyes. “No.


	7. Reigning Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a really boring chapter. It fought me at every damn paragraph. However, Stephen appears in the next one, so, hopefully, it'll get better from here on.

**May 31, 1996**

  “Okay, so, this is gonna be my office.” Toni waved a hand around and watched with a grin as Bruce turned a full circle to take in the beautiful room.

  “It's gorgeous, Tones,” he murmured. “Let me guess. Three years down the line, you're getting the CEO's office.”

  “Yep.” She sat down on the chair gracefully, lifting her feet to rest them on the mahogany table. “Can't wait!”

  “Still, head of R&D is a pretty good spot. Especially because you just turned 18.”

  “Oh, definitely,” she agreed. “And until, we graduate next year, I can just work from the college dorm.”

  “Good. Otherwise, you'll just forget all about a little person like me,” Bruce teased, gingerly leaning against the table.

  Toni nodded seriously. “That's right. Can't let that happen now, can we? Who'd keep you in trouble then?”

  “And who’ll get you out of it?”

  “Exactly why I'm gonna hire you as soon as I can.”

  “Oh please. I have my sights set on Oscorp.”

  “You wouldn’t dare. You don’t even like Corey Osborn.”

  They both laughed, enjoying the banter that came so easily to them.

  “By the way, we’re having a new physics teacher this semester,” Bruce said.

  Toni rolled her eyes. “Great. Who'd they drag in now?”

  “Uh, I think his name is Selvig. Erik Selvig. He's also a researcher, apparently, and- _what_ are you doing?”

  “I am looking for Erik Selvig,” Toni sang, fingers tapping away on the keyboard.

  “I think that's an invasion of privacy.”

  “Uh-uh. Got him.” She turned the monitor towards him. “Experienced scientist, has worked with private think-tanks, specialises in astrophysics. He briefly taught at Harvard as well.”

  As they skimmed through the information, the phone. Toni picked it up, lips curving into a smile as soon as she heard the greeting.

  “Yes, I will be there,” she said, as Bruce watched her with interest. “Sure, yeah. See you soon, then.”

  “New boyfriend?” Bruce asked teasingly.

  She rolled her eyes. “I think so,” she hedged. “I mean, he seems to be taking me out for lunch dates all the time, but I never can tell if he’s flirting or being polite?”

  Bruce shook his head. “His name, Toni, what's his name?”

  “Oh, Tiberius. Tiberius Stone.” She got a slightly pensive look. “Mind you, his father is a member of the Board of Directors. So, we’re still trying to keep it on the down low.”

  “Hmm.” Bruce nodded slowly. “When do I get to meet this guy? Where does he study?”

  “Oh don’t worry, Rhodey gave him the shovel talk,” she assured. “And, uh, he’s not in college. He’s... He’s 25.”

  His mouth fell open. “That's... That's quite the age gap.”

  She bit her lips. “Yeah,” she admitted quietly. “I know. Is it... Is it a problem?”

  He sighed. “No. But it might become one. You’re barely legal, I mean.”

  The conversation was cut off by the phone ringing again. Toni picked it up, again with a smile. “Hey... I know... Yes, I’m leaving now... Will Bruce be there...?” She looked questioningly at him.

  “Be where?” He asked.

  “Yes, he will,” she said decisively, ignoring him. “See you in a few.” She turned to him. “We’re going to Aunt Peggy’s, come on. Sharon and Ev are there too.”

  “You want me to be there?” He asked, pleased. Sure he’d visited with Toni before, but never when the rest of her family was there.

  “Sure.” She smiled and retrieved a small disk from the drawer. “Besides, I’ve got this to show everyone.”

  “What? What is that?”

  She grinned now and held up the disk so he could read the acronym scrawled across it: **J.A.R.V.I.S**.

 

* * *

 

  “Ok, so run those by me again,” Tiberius requested.

  Toni rolled her eyes. “Why is this so difficult for you to understand?” She laughed.

  He shook his head fondly. “Dad is the engineering crazy in my house. I'm a business graduate, remember?”

  “How could I forget?” She teased. 

  “It's really amazing, though,” he spoke. “How you've innovated so many of the old inventions in just five months. Even former Heads of Department don't get so much work done so soon.”

  She preened under the praise.

  “Almost as good as Howard’s designs,” he continued. “It's hard to believe you're only eighteen.”

  And just like a switch was flipped, Toni scoffed. “What's my age got to do with it? Alan Turing was in his early twenties when he invented the first basic computer. And my designs are better than H- _dad’s_.”

  He smiled, slow and smirking. “I don't know,” he drawled, reaching out to stroke the line of her jaw in a mocking way. “You just seem so... _Young_ sometimes. _Naïve_.”

  “I am not naïve,” she protested, swinging her legs of the couch to glare at him, while her face tingled from his touch. They were in the lounge of the Stark Industries building in Boston. Tiberius had flown over, citing that the Board had wanted someone to check in with her about the new line.

  “Relax,” he stressed, still with a smirk that seemed strangely dangerous. “It's not like you can prove it.”

  She mulled over the words briefly, then narrowed her eyes. “If you're seriously expecting me to kiss you now,” she announced boldly. “You've got another thing coming. I’m hardly a blushing virgin.”

  “Virgin? No,” he hummed thoughtfully. “But there’s a difference between having sex and having experience.”

  “You’re just trying to rile me up,” she accused, not admitting that it was working. They’ve had a back-and-forth like this before, all of which had ended with her frustrated at him and scolding herself for not taking the initiative if he wouldn’t.

  “Is it working?” He asked knowingly and damn it, it was like he could read her mind.

  “No,” she pouted. “But if-"

  The rest of her words were swallowed by the searing kiss, his hand cupping the back of her head so she couldn’t move away.

  She struggled for a second, taken aback by the impromptu move, but then got with the program. Tiberius knew what he was doing all right. He eased past her lips easily, his tongue sweeping over the roof of her mouth and making her shiver.

  He pulled back way too soon and she almost growled. She caught herself on time. “If you’re not planning on repeating that...” She trailed off threateningly.

  He just grinned and pulled her down on top of him, already kissing her quiet again.

 

* * *

 

  “You’re dating Tyler Stone’s son?” Obadiah stared blankly at her.

  Toni nodded, taking a calm sip of her scotch. Bruce would probably not like her drinking, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. If she was going to have a long conversation with Stane, she needed the alcohol. And this conversation had already dragged on for twenty minutes and they had just begun a topic that was bound to last another twenty.

  “Well, I hope you know what you’re doing Antonia,” he said slowly. “Tiberius Stone is... Well, he has quite the reputation of a playboy.”

  She blinked. “Whereas, if I sleep with him, by my own decision, I’m either a clueless child or a whore, yes?” Sarcasm dripped from her words like venom.

  Obadiah sighed. “I'm not saying that, but the rest of the world will. Your reputation is important for this company-“

  “My reputation,” she interrupted. “Should be determined by _what_ I can do, not _who_ I do. If the rest of the world can’t learn that, their problem, not mine.”

  He held his hands up in surrender. “Just don’t make any big mistakes,” he warned.

  Toni stood up and headed towards the door of his office. “If I do, you get to say _'I told you so'_.”

  She missed the epiphany that flashed through his eyes in a gleam.

 

* * *

 

  “Jarvis, you up?” She waited hesitantly for the reply. The last bit of coding was finished, the Midas' touch that had been missing when she’d shown off the prototype to her family. It was time to see if it had worked.

  " _ **So I seem to be, Miss**_ ,” was the reply in English dulcet tones that she had missed so much.

  Toni stifled her gasp behind her hand. She hadn’t... She'd almost expected it wouldn't work. But it _had_. And...

  “Miss?” She questioned in a whisper.

  There was a pause and Toni wanted to yelp with pride because she hadn't programmed that. Her baby AI was feeling doubt.

  “ _ **I... Quite like the term. Would you prefer another form of address?**_ ” He asked.

  “No,” she said softly. “No, that’s okay. That's perfect.”

 

* * *

 

**April, 1997**

  “This year’s valedictorian and summa cum laude graduate: Antonia Stark!”

  The whole audience erupted into cheers. As Peggy clapped so hard her palms felt sore, Everett and Sharon right beside her, she felt a fierce longing for Danny. He would have been so infinitely proud of their girl. And Mr Jarvis? Oh, he would have been in tears.

 

* * *

 

**July**

  “Hey,” Rhodey greeted as Toni slid into the dear opposite him.

  She winked at him over her sunglasses, flagging a waiter as she did so. “Hey yourself, handsome. How's the Air Force?”

  “The Air Force is fine, Toni,” he said. “But you obviously aren’t.” He looked her over carefully. “What's wrong? You’ve never asked me to pull out of training early before.”

  She looked away guiltily. “I know, I shouldn’t have. I just... Really needed to talk to you.”

  He frowned. “What's wrong, Tones?”

  She sighed. “Nothing, really. I just... I don't wanna design anymore. Weapons, I mean.”

  “Why not?” He asked curiously.

  “I don't know. It bothers me, I guess, that I'm creating something so destructive. I mean, usually, I can ignore it, but last week, Obadiah took me to a demo and...” She shut her eyes. “I can't stop thinking about what would have happened if there’d been people there, not just bare mountains.”

  Rhodey didn't know how to reply to that.

 

* * *

 

**February, 1998**

  Toni groaned as she realized she'd have to wear something high-necked again. Gingerly, she brushed a finger against the bruise on her throat. She could almost feel the phantom sting of teeth on the delicate skin. Not to mention the finger-shaped colouring down her arms and the tiredness that seemed to bogging her down constantly for months now.

  Lately, it had been like this every time she and Tiberius had sex. He'd always been pretty aggressive and Toni had found that she could be quite creative too, but all too often... Tiberius seemed ignorant of any pain she felt.

  With a sigh, she mentally went through the clothes she could wear to hide her skin. After all, she couldn't have people thinking she was being abused-

  She froze.

  Was that what it was? Was it abuse? Did it count as abuse if she was consensually being with him? No, right? Because she wasn’t exactly complaining about it. She couldn’t. Not when... Not when complaining about it could mean that Tiberius would leave and... But then was that a healthy relationship? If he was hurting her and she was too scared to tell him to stop, did it even count as a relationship?

  “Babe?” Tiberius called from the bedroom, startling her.

  “I'm in the bathroom,” she replied without thinking. Pushing her doubts away, she went back to him.

 

* * *

 

**May 29, 1998**

  Her twentieth birthday was nothing but heartbreak.

  Aunt Peggy had smiled at them, all soft and confused and _wrong_. “Not that I’m not pleased to see you lot here,” she’d said, looking over them. “But is there some party today I’m unaware of?”

  They'd all faltered, even the agents. “Aunt Pegs?” Sharon had started. “I know it's been a while, but you can't seriously have forgotten Annie's birthday.”

  The aged woman's eyes widened. “Her birthday? Yes, yes, of course, how could I have forgotten that?” She muttered the last part to herself, before looking around with a frown. “Well, where's Daniel, then? Isn't he with you?”

  It was like lightning striking across the room. Toni took a shaky few steps forward, sinking to her knees in front of the couch her godmother sat on. “Pegs,” she croaked. “Uncle Danny died a few years ago. Don't you remember that?”

  The shock and sudden pain on her face was all the answer they needed.

 

* * *

 

**August, 1998**

  “Okay, I'm heading over to the office,” Tiberius raised an eyebrow in question. “You working in today?”

  “Uh, yeah,” she muttered absently, typing away. “I want to get these simulations done today.” She seemed to remember something. “Oh, could you just stop by my office and make sure the new rifle designs are sent to the military liaison?”

  Tiberius froze. _Did she mean...?_

  “Uh, how am I supposed to get past your security system?” He asked, his skin tingling with anticipation.

  Toni blinked a couple times. Slowly, she wrote down something on a piece of paper and handed it to him. “Those are the codes for SI secure servers, R&D department. Please, _please_ be careful that no one sees them,” she implored. “Every design, every deal, every idea is stored there.”

  “Of course, sugar,” he murmured, turning away to hide his smile. _Finally_.

 

* * *

 

  The numbers didn’t lie. Toni looked between the holographic screen she’d been trying to calibrate and the records that JARVIS was showing her on the computer screen and she knew the truth: Tiberius had stolen the blueprints, had used the codes she’d given him to commit what was basically espionage.

  There was just no telling who he’d sold them to.  
The phone rang. She picked it up, barely aware of doing so.

  "Are you seeing this?” Obadiah snapped and she realized JARVIS must have pre-empted her orders and sent the information to him as well. “How did this happen, Antonia?”

  She couldn’t answer, her throat closing up and her stinging with the betrayal. “Tiberius,” was all she managed to say.

  Stane's silence was deafening. “Change the codes,” he ordered. “I'll take care of the charges on Stone. Did anyone else know the codes? He might be able to point fingers at them if yes."

  She swallowed. “Bruce knows them,” she whispered.

  “Figure something out then,” he barked and the connection terminated.

  Toni would never know what prompted her to do so, but when Obadiah told her a few days later that Tiberius had been caught red-handed making a deal with some black market thieves, she pocketed an empty syringe before heading towards the compound he was being held at.

  Their conversation was short, clipped, in a closed room with no cameras at her request. Tiberius was cruelly mocking of her trust and Toni took it all with narrowed eyes and a tight voice.

  It wasn't until he quietly threatened to insinuate Bruce’s involvement if she didn't grant him bail, that she took his cuffed hands in her own and pumped the air in the syringe into his wrist.

  Tiberius looked up at her in confused wariness and she smirked, ignoring the tears threatening to spill. She left without an explanation.

  A few minutes later, she listened with a blank face as she was informed of Tiberius' untimely death by way of a sudden heart attack. _Air embolism_ , her mind added.

  When she got home, ignoring Bruce's calls and messages, she stared at her reflection and wondered at the lack of guilt or even horror she felt at herself.

  Instead, there was just a fierce sort of burn in her chest, because he'd broken her heart, damnit, and she could have dealt with just that, if he hadn't gone and threatened Bruce too. There was no way she was letting Bruce get in trouble. 

  And she wasn't going to tell him about what she'd done either. After all, she mused as she grabbed the antidepressants she'd been prescribed after her confession to Rhodey, it wouldn't be the first secret she'd kept from him.

 

* * *

 

  Harold frowned as he watched the petite woman down four shots of tequila like it was nothing, anger and heartbreak written all over her features.

  Normally, he wouldn't have paid attention, but she looked like she was in serious need of company and, going by the looks she was getting from the sleazy looking guys on the far side of the bar, she could get into some bad trouble.

  With a sigh, he got up and headed over to the young woman. “Need someone to talk to, ma’am?” He asked, politely, sitting beside her.

  Surprisingly, sharp eyes turned to him. “Not unless you're planning on talking to me in the bedroom,” was the sultry reply.

  Harold shrugged, almost amused at her boldness. “No offense, ma’am, but that wasn't the plan.”

  She scowled. “That's a shame.”

  “Don't take this the wrong way,” he laughed lightly. “But you should probably take a break from the drink. And go home.”

  She pouted. “Alone?” She whined.

  “If it gets you away from those assholes being creepy over there.” He nodded discreetly in the direction of the respective people.

  She didn't follow his gaze, instead looking at him in drunken curiosity. “Lemme get this straight.” Her words were slurring slightly. “You want to make sure I get home safely. For what?”

  He blinked. “Uh, because it's a decent thing to do.”

  She stared at him for a couple more seconds. “Where do you work?” She asked out of the blue.

  Harold answered easily. “I work as a boxing instructor.”

  She struggled to her feet, hand rummaging around her pocket, for car keys, he assumed. “Come to this place tomorrow,” she muttered, shoving something into his hand. “Don't worry about me, I'll take a cab home.”

  He almost let her go, but the look on her face was a dangerous one that he'd seen before in the Force. “Or I can drive you home,” he offered.

  He expected her to protest, but she followed him without a word, silent and brooding as she gave him directions. Harold dropped her in front of a manor and he didn't have time to wonder about it before the woman was gone.

  It was only then that he looked at the object she'd handed him. It was a business card for Stark International.

 

* * *

 

**December 31, 1998**

  “Hey, hey, guys,” Toni exclaimed, throwing her hands up for silence as Happy scrambled off the bed. Outside the hotel, there was loud cheers of counting down. “It's midnight!”

  All three of them yelled out “Happy New Year!” in unison, and for a few seconds, Toni wished Bruce could be there too. But he was off working on research with Professor Selvig and Everett and Sherry were busy being spies.

  But she had Happy and a pretty scientist to spend the night with.

  "So, are we doing this or...?” Maya trailed off after Happy left.

  Toni raised an eyebrow, knowing full well the girl’s attention was more on her full lips than her words. “Only if you want to,” she assured in a low murmur.

  Maya swallowed. “I'm not... I've never...” Her words petered off and Toni realized why.

  “Hey,” she purred, crawling closer to her on the bed. “It's okay. Let me take care of it.” She cupped the back of her head, pressing their foreheads together, and waited.

  When Maya nodded, eyes flicking eagerly to her lips, Toni kissed her, unhurried, deep and probing, before pulling her back down on top of herself.

  The next morning, she left with a small kiss on a sleeping Maya's cheek and a scribbled equation on a card. ‘ _You know who I am_ ,' she wrote on the back.

 

* * *

 

**May 29, 1999**

  As the party wound up, Sharon and Everett both sidled up to her and Bruce. “It's time,” the blonde said, checking her watch with an excited grin.

  “Yeah,” Toni agreed, breathless and nervous in a way she could only be in front of her family.

  “Don't worry,” Bruce soothed. “They can't really fight you. Whatever screw-up happened with Stone, you've more than made up for it. You opened up a whole new branch, for god's sake.”

  “He's right, Annie,” Everett agreed, referring to Stark Medical. “And if they do try to give you any shit, fuck them up. You'll just make Aunt Peggy prouder when she hears about it.”

  With a grateful smile and goodbye, Toni slipped away from the lobby and into the elevator. Pulling herself together, she murmured for JARVIS to take her to the conference level.

  “How do I look, Happy?” She asked.

  Happy rolled his eyes, reaching over to brush imaginary dust from her bare shoulders. “Like a nightmare,” he said and he was right.

  The dress was glittering black, wrapping tight around her body and ending above her knees, the halter neckline leaving just enough to the imagination. It was toeing the line between fashionable and scandalous, tilting to the wrong side thanks to the strappy, outrageously high heels. To the board members, all middle-aged, conservative men, it really was a nightmare.

  “Well, wish me luck,” she sighed as they stepped out.

  He snorted. “ _You_ don't need it, those poor bastards in there do.” He gave her a wink, though. “Go give'em hell, Boss.”

  She grinned back and paused in front of the doors to the conference room. “Show time,” she muttered to herself. With a deep breath, her face clear of any apprehension and adorned with a cocky smirk, she entered.

  It was time to take over Stark Industries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope I've managed to portray the subtle gaslighting on both Obadiah and Tiberius' parts.
> 
> I also hope this chapter didn't bore you guys, but...


	8. A Study In Annoyance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen Strange valiantly attempts to resist the temptation that is the object of his long-term admiration (that's a lie, he doesn't even try to resist) and Toni Stark is very adamant that she is not developing a crush on the handsome doctor (also a lie, she never stood a chance).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot more fun to write.

**May, 2001**

  “I'm getting bored,” Toni whined, as Bruce dragged her to a group of slightly less older men. One of them, tall and balding with glasses, was watching them with the faint disapproval that had always rankled her.

  “I know, darling,” her best friend consoled. “I just want you to meet Dr Ho Yinsen. He has an interesting project I think you’d like to hear about.”

  She frowned. The convention took place for this very reason, of course- the exchange and discussion of ideas among scientists of all fields. 

  But Toni really, really, really just wanted to go home, preferably with someone pretty.

  And she’d just found the perfect target, but then Bruce had appeared and now, as she tried to find the man again, she couldn’t spot him.

  “Oh my god, no, please,” she whined. “I just managed to escape some blond dude; Killian something.”

  “Oh, hush!”

  “Miss Stark,” Dr Yinsen greeted, the earlier disapproval masked.

  “Yes, Dr Yinsen, hi.” She shook his hand cordially, her own annoyance hidden. “Dr Banner tells me you’ve got a proposal.”

  “Yes, I do.” Suddenly, the man was all business. “I was hoping for your assistance in the improvement of artificial hearts. Of course, medicine is not your field, but your knowledge on the generation of power would be useful.”

  After a short discussion, in which Toni promised him that she’d definitely look into the project, she managed to slip away, putting all science in a far corner of her mind. Next to her, Bruce was wheedling her about the man she’d been looking for.

  “Is that the guy?”

  “No.”

  “Him?”

  “Nope.”

  “That one?”

  “Fuck, _no_!”

  “Why, what’s wrong with him?”

  “That's Justin Hammer!” She shuddered dramatically. “I have never met anyone more fake.”

  “Okay,” Bruce laughed. “Whoever your mystery guy is, he’s probably left.”

  She pouted. “He was so pretty,” she murmured. “And I’m so bored.”

  Bruce gasped. “With me?” He rolled his eyes, a patented response, whenever he found himself resorting to drama. “When are you going to start dating again?” He asked. “Then you’ll always have someone to keep you entertained during these things.”

  Toni scoffed. “I don’t need a partner. Everyone’s too boring anyway.”

  Bruce looked at her, gaze suddenly piercing in a way that always made her feel like an idiot for trying any of her bullshit on him. “What you need,” he said musingly. “Is someone who can either stay up with you all night, because I know how your brain works too fast to let you rest, or someone who can make your head slow down so you can fall asleep.”

  Toni looked away from him. “You're talking about a miracle,” she grumbled. Just then, her eyes landed on a tall figure, leaning against a wall like he was bored, most definitely watching her. He looked away as she caught sight of him and Toni grinned.

  “There he is,” she cheered quietly.

  Bruce followed her gaze. “Yeah, he’s definitely your type,” he observed, amusement obvious in his tone.

  Toni didn’t grace that with a reply. So sue her, she had a thing for tall people.

  “He's going to come over. Go, go, go, go!”

  “Toni!” Bruce laughed, as she lightly shoved at his shoulder. “He's not even looking here. What makes you think he’s gonna come over?”

  “Because, I’d smiled at him when I first saw him, and he’d smirked and disappeared immediately. Now, _go_!”

 

* * *

 

  Stephen couldn't honestly say he’d planned on talking to Toni Stark, much less go home with her, crush be dammed. She had a reputation, after all, and he was not so eager to let his own be tarnished as just another notch on a genius’ bedpost.

  He hadn’t even planned on catching her eye and returning her inviting smirk, which was why he’d disappeared from her view entirely as soon as another man grabbed her attention and pulled her over to talk to some people. Instead, he’d just watched her as she chatted amiably with some Asian scientist.

  Stephen had always prided himself for being able to ' _deduce_ ' people. And Toni Stark was a study in contradictions. He began ticking off the deductions in his head as he watched her.

  The blue cocktail dress hugged her form, showing off long legs and laced-up stilettos, one-shouldered and sleeveless so it left her arms, neck and collarbones exposed; so, definitely comfortable with herself. Yet, there was no way he could miss the restlessness as she kept looking around, her hands never still, sometimes playing with her hair, sometimes stirring her drink with a pinkie, sometimes tapping erratically against her knee. And those heels looked like she could kill a man with them, just as deadly as the hidden annoyance in the set of her mouth as she seemed to sweetly insult one of the men in the group. Yet, there was a certain delicacy in the way she gravitated towards the man who seemed to be her constant companion.

  All in all, an interesting person.

  One who had caught sight of him again and was watching him with an expectant look that made him look away as he tipped his drink back. Liquid courage.

  Thinking he might as well make the most of it, he made his way to the woman, face blank of any nervousness.

  “Good evening, Dr Stark,” he greeted smoothly.

  She smiled, a quirk of the lips that was almost genuine. “Back at you, sweet-cheeks,” she quipped, raising her glass to him in a teasing way. “Took you long enough. I thought you were never gonna come over.”

  “I was rather hoping to escape unnoticed by you,” he explained flippantly. “But then I figured it’d be rude to disappoint a lady.”

  “Slow down, handsome,” she snorted. “I'm the most unladylike lady you’ll ever know. Don’t get your panties in a twist about disappointing me.”

  “Oh, it’s not to spare your sensibilities, really,” he said. “But rather my own conscience.”

  “Well, at least, you have one.” She smirked and finished her drink. “So what’s your conscience telling you to do now? Escort me to your suite and make sure you make up for almost disappointing me?”

  Stephen could see the impatient eagerness she was hiding expertly and he was honestly a little tempted to go along with it. He could easily see himself with her in bed, worshipping every inch of her body for the next several hours- it was a _very_ enticing image. But, being the insufferable bastard he knew he was, he couldn’t help having some fun. “Actually, right now, it’s telling me to ask the non-lady to a dance.”

  He offered her a hand. Surprise flitted across her dark eyes, before amusement replaced it. “I suppose, just to ease your conscience...” She trailed off, challenging, and allowed him to lead her onto the floor.

  _Well_ , he thought to himself, as she spun around him in a complicated tango he kept up with easily, before he pulled her back in and dipped her, one hand hooked around her knee, the skin hot under his fingers, her lust-dark eyes fixed on him without relent, _we won’t be dancing for too long_.

 

* * *

 

  “So, are you going to take Dr Yinsen up on his proposal?” Was the question asked after a few minutes of utter silence.

  Toni looked sharply at the man laying naked next to her in the hotel room. That was unexpected. She didn’t usually talk with her partners after sex.

  “I might,” she said, a little wary. “I'll sort it into my schedule for the rest of the year once I’m back in the States. It’s a good thing SI's got an office in New Jersey, so I can keep up with work, otherwise I’d never be able to go.” She considered the man for a few seconds. “How do you even know about that?”

  He gave her a haughty glance. “You were hardly the only doctor in that room, you know,” he chided. “I'm a neurosurgeon myself. I'm still based in Malibu, but I’m trying to get a transfer to New York. And yeah, it’s a good thing the hospital gave me such an extended leave for this project.”

  “Oh.” _Neurosurgeon_ , Toni thought. That explained the beautifully steady and talented hands. “I didn’t get your name...” She scolded herself immediately. She hardly ever cared about people’s names, why was she asking this one’s?

  “Stephen Strange,” he answered, looking at her with a smile that suggested he knew exactly what she was thinking.

  The idea made her want to scowl. But she knew better than to do so. Instead, she took in his features, the way all his attention was focused on her, not even a hint of drowsiness. “Aren't you tired?”

  He scoffed. “Not even a little bit.” He groaned slightly, stretching his muscles as he turned to lay on his back. “It's hard for me to go to sleep without any intellectual exertion. Perks of having a genius brain.” He opened one eye to look at her. “You probably know what that’s like?” He sounded hopeful and Toni could _not_ handle _that_.

  “I'm gonna go take a shower,” she said abruptly, only just managing to keep her tone aloof and unaffected. She got to her feet as steadily as she could, mildly rueing the fact that she was sure to have a little trouble walking the next day.

  Strange propped himself up on his elbows. His blue-green eyes sparkled as he asked, “Mind if I join you?”

  Toni almost answered affirmatively. Then Bruce’s voice echoed in her memory. ‘ _What you need is someone who can stay up with you all night, because I know how your brain works too fast to let you rest_.’

  She smiled tightly. “Sorry, Blues. I don't do second rounds. Ever.” _A tiny lie_ , she thought to herself. Stephen Strange was just the kind of person she herself would suggest a second round to. But not with the mini-conversation they’d just had.

  None of that soft, fond, post-coital feels for her, no thank you.

  She slipped out of the hotel room while he took his turn in the shower.

 

* * *

 

**June**

  When Stark had voiced her desire to participate in the artificial heart research, Stephen hadn't really expected her to follow through. He wasn’t sure why he'd thought that. Ingrained distrust of overly showy characters?

  Okay, that was majorly hypocritical of him.

  Maybe, it was because he’d been a more than a little miffed that she’d snuck out of his room that night at the convention in Bern, without so much of a goodbye. He wasn’t really sure why he’d been so put out by that. He’d known her reputation and yet, he’d been disappointed.

  It was true: you really shouldn’t meet your heroes. Or, in this case, your long-term celebrity crushes.

  But anyways, here she was, listening intently as the head of the research caught her up with their progress, though most of her attention seemed to be on the file in her hands.

  “Well, I’d say I’m a little redundant here,” she finally said, looking up at the head with a smile. “You've got some of the brightest minds in medicine here, you hardly need me to participate.”

  “Well, thank you for the compliment, Doctor,” the head said, a pleased smile on his own face. “But all the same, I’d like to have an outsider's opinion and some fresh thoughts.”

  “Understood. I’ll just do the rounds, shall I? And then see the entirety of the product you’ve got so far.”

  “Very well. We’ll start with one of our youngest geniuses, then. Stephen Strange.”

  Stephen saw the moment Stark recognised his name; surprise and realisation flashing through her face in a single second.

  This was going to be fun. _(Not)_.

 

* * *

 

  “Are you going to ignore me the entire time we’re working here?” Stephen asked in a quiet whisper.

  Starl looked up from her phone, shooting a furtive glance around the empty elevator, like somebody invisible might be listening. “I was hoping to,” she admitted, looking back at her phone. “Obviously, you're not going to let me do that, are you, Strange?”

  “Well, I _could_.” He shrugged. “But there’s not a lot of people who can say they managed to get their way with Toni Stark.”

  She laughed, sharp and dangerous. “Please. I’m too good at annoying people. Makes them give up trying to make me fall in line.”

  He grinned, bowing mockingly. “Well, I happen to be very good at annoying people, too. Let’s see who wins, shall we, Doctor?”

  “Stop calling me ' _Doctor_ ', please, Strange, formalities aren’t my favourite thing in the world.”

  “Only if you call me ' _Stephen_ ',” he countered with a grin that conveyed: _See, I told you, I'm annoying_.

  She smiled, saccharine sweet. “Right after you call me ' _Toni_ ’.”

 

* * *

 

  “And, he is literally so full of himself!” Toni cried.  
Bruce hid his smile behind a hand, sitting on the floor, back resting against the wall and watching her. “Anything else?”

  “Oh, yes,” she growled. “That... That infuriating man thinks he can get the better of me. I am going to show him he can’t!” She ended her declaration with a punch to the bag, then covered her face and screamed, the sound muffled by her hands.

  Bruce stretched his legs out. “I hate to break it to you, Tones,” he said, mockingly consoling. “But it sounds like he’s already gotten the better of you. I haven’t seen you get this worked up over one person since... I don’t even know!”

  “I'm not worked up.” She twisted around to face him with a pout, starting to undo the bandages wrapped around her hands. “I don’t like him.”

  “I'm actually pretty sure you have a bit of a crush on him.”

  “No!” She growled. “I just... He’s hot, okay? _Really_ hot. And, yeah, he’s smart. _Really_ smart. And, sure, he’s amazingly sarcastic and can even keep up with me and-" She but herself off with another screech. “It's just attraction, okay?” She said loudly. “That's it. Just need to get him out of my system.”

  “Whatever you say, honey,” Bruce hummed.

 

* * *

 

  Toni didn’t avoid Strange the next day. Instead, she changed tactics and leaned over his shoulder to read his notes, angling herself in a way so the slightest movement would cause the corner of her lips to brush against his cheek.

  He stiffened slightly, then relaxed and sidestepped her, granting her a better view of the papers with a flourish of the hand. “I look forward to your suggestions, Doctor.”

  She resisted the urge to scowl, or worse: strangle him. “I don’t have any for you,” she said.

  “So, it’s perfect, you mean?” He tested, a knowing grin on his annoyingly handsome face.

  “Perfection is overrated,” she noted.

  “Only when it’s boring,” he countered.

  Toni rolled her eyes, stepping into his space. She reached just to his chin. She could work with that. “Well, so far, nothing here has excited me all that much, Strange,” she murmured. “Care to fix that?” _Take the bait, take the bait, take the bait_.

  The tall man seemed to shiver, then took a quick step back, capturing her hand and bringing it to his mouth before she could react. “Sorry, ma'am,” he spoke over her knuckles, the movement of his lips tickling her. “But I don't do second rounds. Ever.”

  He winked at her and walked away.

 Throwing her own words back in her face? _Unacceptable_. Toni was starting to really hate this man.

 

* * *

 

  “Doctor Strange, right?”

  Stephen took in the man who was watching him with a completely unreadable gaze.  “Yes, who're you?”

  “I'm Bruce Banner.” The curly haired man extended a hand in greeting and Stephen shook it, still a little perplexed. “Toni’s in a meeting today, so she asked me to take over for her here.”

  “Oh,” Stephen mouthed. “You're the best friend.”

  “That's it, right.”

  Stephen considered him for a few minutes. “Am I in trouble?”

  “Not yet,” he replied, which wasn’t very reassuring. “You're driving her a little crazy, so I’m here to drill you on your motives.”

  “ _I'm_ driving _her_ crazy?!” Stephen asked, gleefully. The idea was more than a little delightful, because, _come on,_ Stark was always so composed and unflappable, it was a relief to know that he wasn’t the only one being affected everytime they got in each others' spaces. Then the rest of Banner's sentence sunk in. “Uh, my motives?”

  “Yeah.” Banner nodded seriously. “What do you hope to get from this?”

  Stephen floundered, something he wasn’t used to. _What did he hope to get from this?_ “I... I didn’t think about it that way,” he mused. “I guess I really enjoy the banter; most people can’t keep up. And she’s smart. Like, really smart. Again, not a lot of people who’ve got a higher IQ than me. And...” He blushed, slightly. “I guess, I’ve always had a bit of an intellectual crush on her.”

  Banner stared at him. Stephen waited, fidgeting under the weirdly scrutinizing gaze. It was a lot like the way Stark looked at him sometimes, he realized.

  “Alright!” Banner announced, clapping his hands once. “Here’s a drive. Go to Toni’s office and give it to her.”

  “Um, what? What, why?” Stephen fumbled with the disk drive that was thrust into his hands.

  “Because, she’s looking for it and she needs it for the meeting,” was the explanation. “Go and give it to her, quick, go! And don’t tell her I took it!”

  Stephen was pushed out the lab, excusing himself with a shout.

  He made his way up to the CEO's office. He hesitated at the door for just a second, before knocking tentatively. There was no answer, but instead: “ _ **Please state your name and purpose**_.”

  Stephen did not jump two feet high. “What the fuck?” He exclaimed, peering at the black built-in speaker near the burnished doors. The voice had sounded... British? “Uh, I’m Stephen Strange,” he said, feeling a little silly for talking to a wall. “I'm here to hand over a drive to Toni Stark.”

  “ _ **Miss Stark asks you to enter**_.”

  “Okay,” he muttered. Pushing the door open, he found Stark sitting at her desk. She seemed to be just as composed as usual, but her hair was in a state of disarray, like it had been pulled at. 

  Stephen wondered if she’d been occupied a brief time ago, based on the admittedly rumpled state of her blouse and the scattered piles of papers on the desktop.

  He felt an unexpected surge of jealousy at the thought.

  “Do you have some business with me, Dr Strange?” She asked testily and slightly out of breath, which only furthered his suspicion. Not that he cared. “Because, I'm busy,” she finished.

  “Uh, no, I, uh...” He couldn’t stop analysing her appearance. How was her make-up perfect, when the rest of her wasn’t?

  “Oh for god’s sake.” Stark rolled her eyes, sounding exasperated. “Just because I always look perfect, doesn’t mean I can’t get messed up sometimes. You try looking for small disk in the middle of all this mess, fifteen minutes before you have to present it to the Board, in a meeting which you’re already late for!”

  Only one part of her whole tirade registered. “You were looking for a disk? That’s why you look so...” He waved a hand around vaguely, internally questioning why he felt so relieved. “Indisposed?”

  “Jesus Christ, yes!” She exclaimed. “I've been going crazy, that disk is super important, it can’t fall into the wrong hands agai- _I need it!_ ”

  “Woah, okay, okay.” He made a placating gesture and dug out the disk Banner had given him. “Here, I have it.” He remembered Banner’s warning, and made up an excuse on the spot. “You left it in the lab before lunch.”

  She scrambled off her seat and hurried to him, snatching it out of his hands and plugging it into her computer. A few commands were typed in and, though Stephen couldn’t really see the screen, whatever it was made Stark smile, bright and relieved. Stephen felt his breath catch for a few seconds.

  “Thank you, Strange,” she sighed, turning to him. “I’d have been in big trouble without this.”

  “It's okay, _Doctor_ ,” he managed to grin.

  She huffed. “Alight, just this once. Thank you, _Stephen_ ,” she stressed on his name and it had never sounded so good before. “I owe you one.”

  “Yeah?” He raised an eyebrow in challenge. “How you plan on paying up, _Toni_?”

  She narrowed her eyes. Smirking knowingly, she leaned up, balancing with a hold on his forearms, and pressed a kiss to the corner of Stephen’s mouth.

  Stephen didn’t waste time capturing her lips, kissing her properly. Her arms moved up to circle around his neck and he slid a hand into her half-tied hair. Her teeth dug into his bottom lip and he tugged at her tresses in retaliation, swallowing her moan as she arched into him.

  “Toni, are you out of- oh, finally!”

  They broke apart to see Banner at the door, face red and gaze flickering madly to everywhere but them, but with a wide beam.

  “Sorry, I should have knocked,” he apologized. “I mean, I sent up Stephen with the disk hoping you guys would, you know, sort things out, but then you were taking too long, and Happy called, said Stane was getting antsy waiting for Toni, so I thought I’d better come and check that you hadn’t killed each other instead.” He said it all in one breath, obviously pleased with himself.

  “Bruce,” Toni spoke dangerously slowly. “Do you mind?”

  “Of course not, I’ll show myself out, thanks,” he waved cheerfully. “But you’re really late, Toni. Also...” He pointed at Stephen with a manic grin. “Welcome to the family, Strange.” He walked out and Stephen caught him silently fist-pumping.

  “I don't suppose you can skip the meeting,” he tried, looking back at the woman currently in his arms.

  She bit her lip and he had to restrain himself from kissing her again. “I don’t suppose you’re free tonight.”

  He thought about it. “I could be.”

  She smiled, sharp and eager. “I'll text you my address.”

  “I'll look forward to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shameless self-promotion here, but I've started an original story called The Five Crowns. Please, please, please just give it a try.


	9. Love You Goodbye

**September 8th, 2001**

  “So...”

  Toni looked away from her screen, raising an eyebrow as she waited for him to continue.

  Stephen hesitated. They’d been sleeping together and going out for dinner and sometimes dancing for a few weeks now, but... “What are you working on?” He asked, internally cursing himself for chickening out. _Gods_ , he should have drunk the last two shots.

  She frowned, likely sensing the change in him. “Just writing up a few reports,” she answered.

  Stephen turned to the holograms. Casting his eyes over the numbers, he frowned. “I think you made a mistake,” he pointed out.

  To his surprise, she smirked. “No. That’s deliberate. I want to see who’s able to catch the error and actually have the guts to bring it up with me. Plus, everyone saw you pick me up from the office, they’ll guess I made up the reports while drunk.”

  “You _are_ drunk,” he pointed out.

  “Doesn’t interfere with my ability to do math.”

  “You do this often?”

  “Yeah, every now and then,” she said with a shrug.

  Stephen kept watching her, taking in the curve of her neck and shoulder, the subtle flexing of the muscles in her forearms as she typed in the air above her face, the blue light shining over her features. Was it the alcohol in his system, or was there an actual fire behind her eyes?

  _Yeah, he was completely wasted._

  She must have felt his gaze, because she turned to him again. “What's wrong?”

  “Nothing,” he denied. “Just... I like looking at you.”

  Toni giggled, head tilting back to expose her throat. Stephen couldn’t stop his hand reaching out to stroke her collarbones, making her laughter die down immediately. “You’re really drunk,” she whispered.

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “I'm drunk and you’re beautiful.” He brushed away the strand of hair that had fallen over her face. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll be sober, but... You’ll still be beautiful.”

  “Stephen.” There was a note of warning in the name as he tugged her closer, but that was all she could say before he was kissing her, soft and sure.

  “Yeah, Toni?”

  She broke away and he watched her eyes flit about, hazy but still calculating, weighing her options. “Stephen, I-“

  “Guys!” 

  They both started, as the door swung open and Bruce walked in, one hand over his eyes. 

  “You guys decent?”

  “Well, we’re drunk and feeling weirdly silly sort of drunk, so we didn’t actually get down to anything,” Stephen assured in a groan. “What are you doing here?”

  “I'm here to remind Toni that she has a flight to New York in the morning,” Bruce said, annoyingly chipper, as he walked around to Toni’s side of the bed and yanked her up by the arms. “Sober up, Tones. You’ve got investment meetings.”

  “Hey, I don’t suppose I can tag along?” Stephen asked, sitting up. “You’ll be there the whole week, right? I wanna try and get a position in Metro General.”

  “Sure.” She stumbled out the door, cursing under her breath as she meandered too close to the door.

  “Stephen?” Bruce called. He had a questioning look on his face. “Why haven’t you told her you love her, yet?”

  Stephen scowled. “Because, I’m not sure of it, yet. I need to find the right time.”

  “Right,” he dragged out the word. “You chickened out.”

  “No!” He snapped. 

  Bruce chuckled, throwing his hands up in surrender. “Alright,” he sang. “But you’re gonna be joining the mile high club in a few hours... I bet you’ll be too terrified even then.”

  “I am not terrified,” Stephen insisted.

  Bruce paid him no attention.

 

* * *

 

**September 11th, 2001**

  The irony of the whole thing, Toni thought to herself, as she struggled to reach Stephen's unconscious _(please, don’t be dead, don’t be dead, not you, please)_ form, was that he hadn’t even been supposed to be there. 

  He'd gone to the hospital, while she’d gone to the Twin Towers for her meeting. He’d returned to take her out to an early lunch, just as she’d stepped out.

  They'd spotted each other across the lobby and then-

  The building had collapsed, a burning plane spiralling towards them.

  Toni, her own body broken in a few places and definitely bleeding, crawled as close to Stephen as she could.

  “Wake up,” she whispered, her voice dead with shock. Through the smoke-thick air, she thought she could hear distant cries and sirens. But all she could see was Stephen's face, covered in dust and grime, and the blood matting his hair.

  “Wake up,” she repeated, choking on the dust around them. It was getting hard to breathe and she could feel something warm trickling down her forehead. “Wake up. Wake up. Stephen. Wake up. I love you. Please, wake up. Please, wake up. Wake up, baby, please. Please. Wake up.”

 

* * *

 

  “You got really lucky, Miss Sousa. Your injuries are mostly superficial, you'll be fine to leave in a few days.”

  “What about the man who was brought in with me?” Toni asked quietly, careful not to react to the name. When they hadn’t recognised her, what with the injuries marring her face, along with soot and ash, she’d gained just enough coherency to give the first false name that popped into her head. “Stephen Strange?”

  “I'm sorry, ma'am, but unless you're family, I really can’t inform you of his progress,” the doctor apologized.

  Toni didn't hesitate. “I'm his wife.”

  The doctor huffed, caramel hair swinging as she shook her head. “Bold move, Miss Sousa, but Dr Stephen Strange is the most celebrated surgeon of the decade. I’m sure we'd have known if he'd gotten married.”

  She deflated. “Look, it-“

  “However,” the woman interrupted. “Since I’m not a big fan of stupid rules, I will tell you that Dr Strange had briefly been in the OR. His injuries are extensive and the blow to his head was specially severe, but the doctors are confident that he’ll make a full recovery with no lasting damage. Although, he may have to use a crutch for a few months.”

  Toni breathed out a sigh. “Thank you, Dr, uh, Dr Palmer.”

  She got a smile in return. “There are, however, two men waiting to see you. One of them gave the name, Robert Sousa. The other one didn't give us his name, but Mr Sousa vouched for him. Shall I let them in?”

  Toni nodded, wondering who was with Bruce and why the fuck he had used a false name too.

  Christine Palmer left the room. In a few minutes, Bruce stepped in, shadowed by a man with dirty blond hair and very muscular arms. Toni took one look at him and groaned. “Oh for the love of Tesla, don't tell me Fury thinks this was meant to be an attack on my life.”

  The agent shook his head. “Cool it, princess,” he snorted. “This was a four-pronged terrorist attack, nothing personal.” 

  Toni sat up a little straighter. “What do you mean?” She asked warily. She'd been in the hospital for two days since the explosion. Cut off from all electronics and with the doctors refusing to stress her by telling her anything, she had no idea what had transpired in the world.

  So, as the agent, Clint Barton, and Bruce brought her up to speed, she felt her horror grow.

  “Oh fuck,” she fretted. “This is... This is _bad_. Economy is gonna be in shambles. Really high death toll. Don’t even want to start counting the aftermath; lung cancer, respiratory diseases...” She trailed off into mumbling calculations, planning ahead for recovery.

  “SHIELD is currently lending itself to CIA. IMF is helping out as well. We’re all running search and rescue from the debris. Two days later, but we’re still finding bodies.”

  Bruce must have sensed her distress, because he sat with her on the bed. “Are you okay?” He asked. “I saw your file, you aren’t too badly injured, but...”

  “But trauma is a thing,” she finished for him. “How did you get my file?”

  To her surprise, Bruce smiled a bit sheepishly. “Well, I took a quick peek at the patients list. I couldn’t find Toni Stark, but I spotted Maria Sousa. I realized they wouldn’t tell me anything unless I was family, so I figured I might as well make use of one of the fake identities you so considerately gifted me.”

  Toni managed a smile somehow. “How sweet,” she teased. “Bruce Banner, angel on earth, actually committed a minor identity fraud for me. You’re going to have to do it again.”

  He frowned. “What for?”

  “I need you to go check on Stephen,” she requested. “Please. They’re not telling me more than that he’s out of surgery and he’s okay. But...”

  “I'll go, and I'll try to sneak in your tablet so you can start work,” he promised. He cast a furtive glance at the agent. “You'll be okay with him?”

  “I'll be fine. And, phone Rhodey and Obadiah while you’re at it, please.” Toni waited until her dearest friend had stepped out, before turning to Barton. “What does Fury want?” She asked in a quiet voice. “You wouldn’t have come just to bring me up to speed, Bruce would have done that anyhow.”

  “Fury is... _Concerned_ about your relationship with the doctor,” Barton spoke carefully, watching her closely for a reaction. “He says your involvement has made him a target. Just because the public don't know about your relationship, doesn't mean other people don't. Dangerous people.”

  Toni stiffened. “I beg your pardon?” She asked coolly. “A target?”

  “He's safe when he's with you,” Barton explained. “By which I mean, literally by your side. Your security measures and the shady reputation that anyone who's ever made a move against you is never heard or seen from again, is enough to keep people trying to get to him while you're around. Unfortunately, you can’t actually guarantee that you’ll always be right next to him.” 

  As he spoke, he dragged a chair to sit near her. Toni was a little taken aback by the casual attitude, but ignored it. 

  “One of our agents has been shadowing him at the hospital and galas you're not at- and _no_ , I can’t tell you _who_ \- but it’s not enough. Not when...”

  “Not when he’s getting a position here in New York,” Toni finished for him. Her stomach dropped as realization hit her. Of course, she and Bruce didn't spend every moment together, not to mention how he hated the limelight. Stephen, though... Stephen loved the attention, revelled in it just as much as she did. It was only a matter of time before someone printed their photos together in a magazine.

  And, she couldn’t just move everything to New York. Not when she had just established her head office at Malibu, even going so far as to commission an impossible architecture on a cliff side. 

  “What does Fury want me to do?” She asked, through grit teeth. “Cut him out of my life?”

  “No!” Barton exclaimed. “Or, well, yes, initially. But I talked him out of it. Said you’d both be too unhappy and that would probably result in some drastic move on either part. Strange is just as prone to drama as you are, according to our observations."

  Toni felt some relief; not a lot. “I still have to break up with him,” she surmised in a whisper.

  Barton deflated. “Well... Yeah. Yeah, you do. I’m really sorry.”

  They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. 

  “Give me some time,” Toni requested in a small voice. “He’ll need time to recover. I can’t just leave him now, not when he needs my help. Please.”

  Barton hesitated. “Okay. Okay, yeah. I’ll keep Fury off your back for as long as I can.”

  “Why?” Toni asked abruptly. “Why are you taking my side? You don’t even know me.”

  Barton shot her a quick smile. “Sharon’s a good friend,” he said casually. “She’s very adamant that pushing you too far is not a good idea. And... And I know the value of family. Of friends.”

  _He must have a family too_ , Toni realized. She didn’t say anything, just smiled wanly in gratitude.

  “Thanks, Barton. Tell Fury to get in touch with me if he needs anything for the clean-up. Funds, personnel, whatever. I’ll be setting up a few trusts and charities too, but I’ll try and keep his stuff on the priority list."

  “Will do.” The blond stood up. “Get rested up. We need you.”

  “More than you know,” she snorted.

  He gave a wink and a shrug and left her alone in the room.

  Toni stared up at the ceiling. There was an odd feeling rising in her chest, thick and sludge-y. She knew what it was, knew it intimately. But her pills were god knew where and she couldn’t ask Bruce to get them for her, since he didn't even know about them in the first place.

  _Just wait_ , she tried to tell herself. _Just wait. Control._

 

* * *

 

**December**

  “In pain?”

  Stephen tried to muster a glare, but Toni was already looking so dejected, he couldn’t quite bring himself to be mean to her, even as banter.

  “A little bit,” he admitted. “It's been six hours, I can take medication now.”

  With a quick nod, Toni set her laptop aside and got to her feet. Stephen had been ordered rest and leave from the hospital. He had been spending most of his time in Toni’s house or office since September, quickly finding out that he would be bored out of his mind without her. Before Bruce had left for a research centre in Thailand, he'd been hanging out with him as well.

  “Here,” Toni murmured, handing him his pills. He was sitting on the couch she had in her office, legs stretched out as prescribed. Taking the medication, he swallowed it down. All the while, though, he kept his eyes on Toni. 

  Something was wrong, he thought. Toni had been acting off lately. She’d been... Off-hand-ish; always tensed, breaking away far too quickly whenever he kissed her, staring at him with an unreadable expression when she thought he wasn’t looking.

  It was setting him on a edge.

  Was she... Did she want to end what they had?

  Deciding to take his chances, he grabbed her hand before she could walk back to her desk. Confused, but wary, Toni let him tug her down to sit beside him. 

  For a few minutes, they stayed like that; Stephen's palm curved around her cheek, his other hand holding hers, their eyes focused on each other.

  Finally, Stephen kissed her. She responded eagerly, humming softly as he rubbed slow circles into the back of her hand. For a second, Stephen wondered if he’d misread her. But then she stiffened, ever so slightly, like she’d remembered something.

  She began to pull away, but Stephen whined softly, following her lips with his own. “Stephen,” Toni mumbled in warning.

  He raised an eyebrow, dipping a finger past the waistband of her jeans. “Yeah, Toni?” He asked, kissing her before she could answer.

  She tried to resist again, but her attempts were growing weaker.

  “What’s wrong?” He asked in a whisper. “Please, just tell me what’s wrong.”

  This time, when she pulled away, it was with a bit more force. Stephen held her gaze, unexplainable fear churning in his stomach.

  “Stephen, we...,” Toni stammered, blinking rapidly. “I...”

  “What?” He half-begged.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but then there was a sudden cacophony of yells from outside. Both of them frowned. As Toni stood, there was a scream, a thud, and then the door burst open.

  “Miss Stark!” The person who entered was a woman; tall and beautiful, a file in one hand, a purse hanging from one shoulder and a can of pepper spray in the other hand. She looked out of breath, somewhere between cross and triumphant. 

  “That's me, sugar,” Toni confirmed, already composed and cocky, while Stephen forced himself to stop gaping at the woman. “You wanna tell me who you are and why it sounds as if you just pepper-sprayed my poor bodyguard? Happy, it’s okay, I've got it, go take care of yourself.” She yelled the last part and there was a choked off response from outside.

  The woman was now slightly sheepish, as if just realizing that she’d barged into the CEO's office and taking note of Stephen’s presence.

  “I’m really sorry for the interruption, Miss Stark,” she apologized, straightening her back. “But... Well, I’m an accountant in your Finances And Statistics Department and I just came across this... Well there’s an error. In your- in the spreadsheet for the dealings with the Tadashi group.”

  Stephen recalled the night Toni had typed out a false spreadsheet and looked over to see her reaction. Toni was peering at the woman, lips only slightly parted and expression blank. To anyone else, she would have seemed indifferent, but Stephen could tell she was literally flabbergasted.

  “You found a mistake in my spreadsheet?” She asked, slowly.

  The woman nodded. “I asked my supervisor to forward it to you, but he refused to believe that you could have made a mistake. So I came myself. And your bodyguard tried to stop me from entering, saying you were busy. But this mistake could have lost the company millions, so I...”

  “Pepper-sprayed him.” Toni grinned, shark-like, as the woman tapered off.

  She blushed, making her numerous freckles stand out. “Well, yes,” she mumbled. She held out the file. “I printed it out and highlighted the mistake, if you want to see it.”

  “No need.” Toni waved it off. “You wouldn’t have come to me, if you weren’t a hundred percent certain. Instead, here’s what I want you to do. What’s your supervisor's name? Go tell him you quit. Then tell him I want to see him. Pronto.”

  “But... Miss Stark, I...”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Potts,” she replied. “Virginia Potts.”

  Toni giggled, much to the chagrin of Miss Potts. “Doesn't suit you. You're not a Virginia, or a Ginny. You're...” She trailed off.

  Potts fidgeted slightly as Toni's gaze moved carefully over her, lingering on her flame-red hair, the freckles, and the can of pepper spray. “Miss Stark, I really...”

  “Pepper,” Toni announced, interrupting her.

  “I _said_ I’m _sorry_...”

  “No, your name is Pepper...”

  “... It really isn’t...”

  “... And you’re hired.”

  “... I'm- what?”

  Toni's smile softened. “You're hired, Pepper. Personal Assistant to the CEO. Which is me. You start tomorrow.”

  The newly dubbed Pepper seemed frozen in shock. “Uh, ma’am?” 

  Toni raised an eyebrow.

  “Yes?”

  The redhead stared her a few seconds more. “Tomorrow?” She asked faintly.

  Toni nodded. 

  “Right. Okay,” Pepper mumbled. “I'll, uh, I’ll see you tomorrow, then, Miss Stark.” The woman stumbled out, the door closing behind her.

  Stephen got to his feet, faltering a little without the crutches, and approached her. Toni watched him warily.

  “What were you saying?” He asked.

  She didn’t say anything first. Her eyes were dark as she took a deep breath. “It’s nothing,” she whispered. “Nothing. Just...” She swallowed. “I’d gotten used to you being around all the time. But if you’re leaving for New York at the end of January... I just... And I’ll be leaving for Rio next week...”

  Stephen tilted her chin up to kiss her. “You'll be back in two weeks. As for New York, haven’t you promised to visit me whenever you can? And it’s only a temporary position for now. You never know, I might just decide I prefer to stay right here.” He winked at her, trying to get her to lighten up. “After all, I've always thought the Malibu skyline is the most beautiful one in the States.”

  Toni gave him a small smile. To his surprise, she hugged him, careful not to unbalance him. She was in her heels, so she was able to hide her face in his shoulder. Stephen held her close, smoothening out the tresses he’d messed up earlier on the couch. 

  “I'm gonna miss you,” she whispered.

  Stephen didn’t know if that was fear in her voice, or defeat, or pain. But he tightened his hold and ignored the suffocating sense of anticipation in his chest.

 

* * *

 

  The nausea did not help with the boredom. Toni had already thrown up twice in the morning and she was still feeling light-headed. But this convention was important. A weapons demo where everyone boasted of their tech, hoarded their secrets, and tried to sell egos and propagate even more dangerous weapons? She had to pay attention. 

  So she lay off the wine and tried to seem as if she didn’t want to hide under her covers with a sleeping pill to knock her out.

  “Ah, Miss Stark, how nice to meet you.”

  The thick accent greeting her belonged to a large man, thick dark hair atop a rather flat head, adorned with an all around smarmy smile. “Not sure the feeling's mutual, just yet,” she returned, shaking the offered hand.

  “I'm Ulysses Klaue,” he told her. “I'm... Well, you could call me a connoisseur of arms and such.”

  “And by connoisseur, I’m sure you mean underground, black-market dealer.”

  He chuckled. “You're a pleasure to talk to, Miss, and a tad too sharp for your own good.”

  “So I’ve been told,” Toni said in the dryest voice she manage. Her nausea was getting worse, she realised. She needed to get to her hotel room. _Now_.

  “I see you have quite the dislike for scenes like this.” Klaue gestured to the room as a whole. “And yet, you mingle politely and take up their deals. Why?”

  Toni mustered a thin smile. “Oh, you know, business motto: keep your friends rich and your enemies rich, then wait to find out which is which.” She gave him a quick wave of her fingers. “Now, if you'll excuse me, please.”

  She didn’t wait for his response. Dashing out of the ballroom, she barged into he nearest washroom. She barely made it into a cubicle before throwing up. Her throat burned with the vile acrid taste and she simply wondered what was wrong with her. She was sure she hadn’t been poisoned. Unless, it was normal food poisoning?

  As she flushed the toilet, getting to her feet shakily, her phone rang. Frowning when she saw it was Barton, she rinsed her mouth before answering. “Barton?”

  “ _Stark, listen, we need you to come back to the States, as soon as possible_ ,” Clint told her without preamble.

  Toni clutched the edge of the marble basin, dread pooling in her stomach. “What's wrong?”

  Clint hesitated, very audibly. “ _I know you were planning on waiting until Strange left for New York, to break up with him, but you’re probably going want to hurry it up now_.” He didn’t give her a chance to protest. “ _Get back_.”

  The call ended and Toni buried her face in her hands.

 

* * *

 

**Two Days Later**

  Toni stared at the three objects in front of her on the desk. One was a newspaper clipping from the weekend she’d been in Rio. It was an all too clear picture of her and Stephen at a high-end restaurant, the latter bending down to kiss the back of her hand as he held it, as she laughed and tried to bat him away with her other hand. The headline was a very bold: _**Stark's New Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy.**_

  The second object was a series of interrogation photos of a bearded man, his hands shackled in front of him. This was the man who a SHIELD agent- the same one who Clint told her had been shadowing Stephen- had apprehended in the act of positioning a rifle on the roof of the building in front of Stephen's hospital. Upon questioning, he’d admitted that his target had been Dr Strange, though only with tranq darts, and that there had been two other men on the standby to carry the unconscious surgeon to their hold after he’d made the shot.

  The third object.... Well.

  The phone rang. Toni knew exactly who it was without looking at it. Clint was right. It was time to end this. She’d been putting it off, had been delaying it as much as she could. But with an attempted attack and their relationship out in the open? And now... Now this new development? No, she couldn’t put two people at risk. Even she wasn’t that selfish.

  “Stephen,” She greeted with a cold voice.

  He got to the point immediately. “ _You didn’t call? You’ve been back from Rio for two days, and you didn’t call? Is everything alright?_ ”

  “I didn’t see any reason to,” she shrugged his concern away. “And speaking of which, Stephen, stop calling me. Okay?”

  “ _Stop call- Toni, what the hell happened? Are you okay?_ ”

  “Of course, I am,” she scoffed, ignoring the imperceptible hitch in her voice. “I want you to stop calling me. This is over. We’re over.”

  “ _Wait, wait, Toni, babe... What do you mean by that? We... We were fine, before you left. What’s gone wrong?_ ” The desperation in his tone was clear and Toni had rarely hated herself so much. 

  “We weren’t fine, Stephen, I was getting bored. I’ve had enough. You and I were never supposed to last more than a few nights. I guess it’s my fault. I should have warned you not to get attached.” It was a flimsy lie, but she knew Stephen. She knew his insecurities. They were the same as her own. She knew which buttons to push.

  “ _Toni, Toni please, please, I know you can’t mean that. Just tell me-"_

  “I slept with someone else,” she blurted out, immediately cursing herself in the next second. That was taking it way too far. But she had to stick to it now. “In Rio. I slept with someone else.”

  There was a brief, heavy silence on the other end. “Toni...” He breathed out. His voice was frail, breaking.

  “Like I said,” Toni said softly. “We’re over.”

  The call disconnected and Toni didn’t give herself any time to recover. Calling another number, she waited for an answer.

  “Toni?”

  “Clint,” she spoke through grit teeth. “That shooter- is there anything else you can get from him?”

  “No, our interrogator seems pretty certain he doesn’t know anymore.”

  “I'm coming over in a few minutes. Save a bullet for me,” she ordered. “I'm not wasting one of mine on that fucker.”

  “Okay,” Clint agreed gently.

  Toni slammed the phone down. Staring at the objects in front of her again, she felt tears start to slip down her face. A sob broke from her lips, and her fingers curled so her nails could dig into the skin of her palms. 

  The third object was a positive pregnancy test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure most of you have already guessed who the baby is gonna be, even without reading Our Unfinished Tale.


	10. NOT AN UPDATE!

I am really so sorry, everyone, but lately, I just haven't been able to work up any excitement for this story. I'm not sure if it's because I'm in anticipation of continuing the main part in this series (Our Unfinished Tale), or if I genuinely don't want to keep up with this one...

In any case I'm putting this story on an indefinite hiatus.

However, please, do tell me in the comments, whether you'd like me to continue Our Unfinished Tale in place of this, because I'd be happy to do that one.

Really sorry, once more, guys, and thanks for reading this far.


	11. Bent Or Broken?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first off, I wanna say, thank you to all of you for being so supportive of my previous decision to put this story on a hiatus. I was coming up short if ideas and had stopped feeling anything for it. That being said, I found a sort of middle ground. Instead of writing all the way through IM1 and IM2 as I had originally planned, I'm going to end the story right here. It seems a fitting end.
> 
> Also, tw: drug overdose, alcoholism, depression, implied suicidal thoughts. They're all very subtle, but still...

  Stephen frowned at the sudden commotion in the corridors as he stepped out of the operation room. Calling one of the nurses over, he asked, “What the hell’s going on?”

  The nurse looked harried. “High security patient. Top priority.”

  “Who?”

  “Toni Stark. Drug overdose.”

  Once, when he was a teenager in Nevada, on his parents’ ranch, Stephen had been thrown off a horse's back. He remembered the sensation acutely: stomach dropping, heart in his throat, all the breath knocked out of his lungs as blinding pain shot through him.

  The nurse's words made him feel like he’d just been thrown off a horse.

  He didn't freeze up, not for a second. Blood rushing in his ears, he followed the nurse, coming to a stop in front of another Operation Theatre. Knowing better than to step inside, he peeked through the glass and immediately wished he hadn't.

  Toni's whole body was trembling, a seizure taking over, as the doctors hooked her up to an IV and an ECG. From his viewing point, he could read the heart monitor easily and he didn’t need to be a doctor himself to know it was low- too low. As the seizure passed, he watched in horrified shock as Toni’s eyes flew open, her mouth moving as she babbled incoherently to whatever hallucinations the drugs in her system were showing her.

  “Dr Strange?”

  He started, turning to see the redhead Toni had hired as her PA- Pepper Potts.

  “Yes?” He asked numbly.

  “I'm sorry, but, I mean, I'm aware that you and Miss Stark are, uh, not together.” She looked awkward as hell and Stephen felt almost grateful for the distraction.

  “You're hardly the only one aware, Miss Potts,” he mumbled. “I presume you're the one who found her?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I found her in her private room, the one attached to her office. Anyway, the thing is... You're still listed as her emergency contact. But, if you're uncomfortable with that, is there anyone else I could call?”

  Stephen forced himself to think past emergency contact. Toni's cousins- Sharon and Everett- were part of some agency Toni had refused to name, so they were probably busy. That left...

  “There’s a Dr Bruce Banner,” he said softly. “He's in another country, so I'm not sure if he'll be able to come. But inform him.” He was in no condition to talk to the man, not after having avoided him since breaking up with Toni. “Until he arrives, or if he doesn't, I'll take care of the medical decisions.”

  Potts nodded, eyes soft as she flashed him a grateful smile. Somehow, she put Bruce on a plane, informing Stephen that he’d arrive by early next morning.

  When he did, the first thing he asked was, “Is she okay?”

  Stephen nodded. “She's fine now. The drugs are out of her system. They’re just going to keep her till noon for observation.”

  Bruce breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at him carefully.

  Stephen ignored the urge to squirm as the physician's unassuming gaze moved over his slumped form, the red-rimmed eyes, the unkempt hair.

  “You haven’t gone home since yesterday, have you?” He asked in a knowing way.

  Stephen just shook his head.

  Bruce sighed and sat next to him. “Have you guys talked?” He asked quietly. “Since... You know.”

  Stephen shot him a look. “I know you know we haven’t,” he said bluntly. “What is there to talk about? She cheated. I don’t _want_ to talk to her.”

  Bruce frowned. “Liar,” he accused. “You know as well as I do: Toni would never cheat, even if she didn’t want to be with you anymore.”

  Stephen took a deep breath. “I know,” he said, his voice trembling. “And that makes it worse. She didn’t cheat, she just said it to keep me away. How desperate was she to end it, that she’d lie about something like that?”

  “I don't know.” Bruce's voice was troubled. “I didn't even know she had drugs. Do you know what kind, by the way?”

  Stephen faced him, feeling grave. “TCA,” he informed him.

  Bruce paled. “Antidepressants?” He asked in disbelief.

  Stephen could only nod.

 

* * *

 

  Toni woke up with a dry mouth and coldness permeating her body. Struggling to open her eyes, she found Rhodey on the chair beside her bed, asleep with his body bent in half over the bed, his hand resting gently on her midriff. Staring at the top of his military cropped hair, she barely thought to examine her surroundings.

  “Rhodey,” she whispered through a parched throat.

  He jumped awake, rubbing his eyes as he peered at her. “Sorry,” he grumbled. “Couldn’t sleep on the flight over.”

  “When did you get here?” She asked sleepily. “And how? I thought you wouldn’t be back for a few months.”

  “How am I supposed to stay awake if you get yourself into a hospital?” He snapped.

  His words brought everything back and she took in her situation. The white walls. The beeping heart monitor. The needle in her arm. Flashes of memories went through her head: crying over Stephen and the baby, getting drunk, considering putting an end to her misery, taking her pills and then- _Oh god, the baby! What had she done?_

  “How did I get here?” She asked warily.  
He sighed. “Your PA found you. Potts. She called the ambulance.”

  A thought occurred to her. The closest hospital to her mansion was... “Is Stephen here?” She asked desperately.

  Rhodey's glare softened. “He was the first one to know. Told Potts to get in touch with Bruce and myself. He stayed here all night and still hasn’t gone home. He refused to come in, though, so once I got here, Bruce offered to keep him company outside. We also tried to get in touch with your cousins, but we couldn’t reach them. And Potts took care of the security, so nothing will get to the media.”

  Guilt, gratitude, love, heartbreak; it all filled her to the brim.

  “One more thing, Toni.” Rhodey hesitated. “A while ago, they did a general check-up: blood tests and such to make sure the drugs were all flushes out. They found, well, uh... You’re pregnant, Tones.”

  Maybe, he’d been expecting her to be shocked, but her flinch told him the truth. “Does Stephen know?”

  “You knew?” He asked, aghast, completely ignoring her question. “Why would...? Toni, I know you’re smart enough to know exactly what the stress of an overdose, of drugs mixed with alcohol, could do to such a new foetus. What were you thinking?”

  Tears built in her eyes as he spoke, and she fought then back.

  “I wasn’t thinking,” she whispered furiously. “I just... Depression is common during pregnancy, so I thought, maybe just a _little_ bit of alcohol couldn’t hurt. I... I just, I lost track of how much I’d had, and when I thought of the pills, I just... I’d completely forgotten about it, because I’d been thinking of Stephen, and I just wanted to stop feeling that way, so I thought, the pills could make it stop and-“

  “Hey, hey, Toni, shh, it's okay,” Rhodey soothed, scooting closer to smooth his hand over her hair. “Calm down, you’re still weak. I get it. I don’t agree, but I get it.” He waited for her breathing to even out again. “I held off on telling Bruce and Stephen. Figured that’s up to you.” He frowned. “It is Stephen's, right?”

  She nodded. “They can’t know,” she said, brokenly. “They just can’t.”

  “Why the fuck not?”

  “Because, Stephen’s life is in danger,” she explained, finally letting it off her chest. “SHIELD keep an eye on him, but it’s not enough. As long as we’re involved, he’s in danger. Bruce is safer, he’s not nearly in the public eye as much as I am. Stephen is, though. And if he knows about the baby, it’s just gonna involve him deeper and I can’t have that. Rhodey, I can’t let him get hurt,” she begged him to understand.

  Rhodey took a deep breath. “Alright,” he sighed. “We don’t tell them. But how are you gonna hide a pregnancy?”

  This was why she loved Rhodey, Toni decided. Where Bruce was always ready to challenge her- don’t get her wrong, she loved Bruce for it- Rhodey went along with all her crazy plans, only drawing the line when somebody was getting hurt.

  “I'll stay at your place,” she murmured, phrasing it like a question. “Mama Rhodes would be okay with it, right?”

  “More than,” he promised.

  “Pepper will know the truth. She can spin it to the media so it seems like I’m taking a sabbatical. Finding myself or some shit. I’ll dye my hair for a few months. That, and sunglasses whenever I step out, should be enough to keep anyone from recognising me,” she mumbled.

  Rhodey sighed. “Alright. How about you get dressed? I’ll talk to the doctor’s and head to the mansion. You follow behind with Happy and Pepper? We'll be out of here by tomorrow.”

  Toni gulped, knowing she’d have to face her other best friend and ex-boyfriend.

 

* * *

 

  “She’ll be out in a few minutes,” Rhodey assured before the question could be asked.

  Bruce sighed in relief, but he watched the way Jim's eyes slid over to Stephen's boneless pose.  
“Stephen,” he called, hesitation clear in his voice. “Toni can be an idiot, sometimes. Doesn’t mean she doesn’t... Care about you. Keep that in mind.” He was gone before Stephen could ask what he meant.

  Sure enough, in a few minutes, Toni stepped out of the room, walking slowly, as if trying not to overbalance. Stephen stood, like string pulling on him, and walked to her, stopping just out of her reach. Bruce followed.

  “Hey,” she muttered.

  Bruce gathered her into a hug. “This is the second time you’re giving _me_ a heart attack while _you’re_ the one in the OT.”

  “Sorry,” she said softly, sincerely.

  “Why did you never tell me you had prescribed medication?” He demanded.

  She bit her lip. “Stupid reason to have depression,” she answered vaguely.

  Bruce groaned. “There is no such thing as a stupid reason, when it comes to mental health.”

  She gave a tremulous smile. Then her gaze slipped to Stephen, who was staring at her. “Thanks for being here,” Toni said in a tight voice.

  Stephen nodded, eyes never leaving her. “Not a problem. Lucky I was even here. Two days later and I would have been in New York.”

  Her hand clenched around Bruce's wrist, making him look at her in concern.

  “You're leaving?” She asked, still without inflection.

  Bruce frowned. Her face may have been blank, but he could see the shattered look in her eyes. Something was wrong here.

  “Yeah, I got the position,” Stephen answered in a stiff tone. “And it’s not like there’s anything keeping me here.”

  The bitterness actually made Toni flinch as she looked away, unable to hold the intensity of Stephen’s gaze.

  “Miss Stark?” It was Toni's assistant, Pepper. “Happy has the car waiting for you.”

  Toni took a deep breath. “I'll be right there,” she promised. Looking at Bruce, she went on, “I'm taking a break. From everything. Don't contact me, don't try to find me. Not for at least a year.”

  Bruce felt dread. “Toni, what are you-?”

  “Please,” she pleaded, brown eyes large and beseeching. “I swear I won't be alone. I won't do anything stupid. And I’ll stay in touch with Pepper.”

  Bruce looked at her for a long time, still unable o shake off the feeling of _wrong_. “Okay,” he agrees reluctantly. “Okay.”

  “Thanks, Brucie.” She kissed his cheeks. Then she turned to Stephen. “Bye, Stephen.”

  Stephen was still staring at her, his eyes now flickering madly over her form, like he was trying to memorize everything about her. And Bruce knew without a doubt that Toni was doing the same thing.

  “Goodbye, Dr Stark.”

  Toni flinched once more, before sharply turning away, allowing herself to balance on Pepper’s figure as they walked away.

 

* * *

 

  "Hey, Aunt Peggy," Toni murmured, smiling as the elderly woman lit up at the sight of her.

  "Annie, darling," she greeted. "What a pleasant surprise. Are you going on a secret trip?" She looked pointedly at Toni's red-dyed hair.

  "Uh, yeah," she hedged. "Rhodey's actually already at the airport, so I gotta dash in a few minutes- you know how he gets when I'm late."

  "Well, what are you doing here then?" Peggy scolded. "Don't keep the young man waiting. And what about your two doctors? Bruce and Stephen?"

  Toni sighed. "That's actually what I came to tell you, Pegs-"

  A sudden bout of coughs wracked her fragile form. Toni immediately rushed to fill the glass with water, lifting it to her lips. She waited patiently for the coughing to subside, her heart breaking as she predicted the disorientation that would follow.

  "Annie?" Peggy mumbled, eyes glassy. "What are you doing here, darling?"

  Toni swallowed. "Oh, nothing," she said, voice tight as she tried to figure out what the time period was in her godmother's head. "Just thought I'd come see my favourite Aunt."

  "Really, child, you need to get serious about your work with the company now," Peggy chided. "After all, now that you're 21 and in ownership, you'll be under more scrutiny than ever."

   _21._ Right. Peggy thought she was still 21. Deciding it might be best if she left now, she opened her mouth to say goodbye.

  Aunt Peggy bear her to it. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you, dear," she mused. "Danny and I had thought it best to wait till your 21st birthday."

  "What was it?"

  Aunt Peggy frowned. "Well, for the life of me, I cant remember. It was terribly important, I'm sure, but..."

  "It's alright, Aunt Peggy," Toni sighed, standing up. She pressed a kiss to her wrinkled forehead. "I'll see you later. Bye, Pegs."

 

* * *

 

 

**2002 (Nine months later)**

  Nobody knew who exactly, but someone had leaked it to the news: Toni Stark had resurfaced after her nine-month long disappearance, giving birth to a baby, in a private hospital in Ohio.

  Of course, Pepper was furious about it. She’d spent a better part of the year keeping Toni’s location a secret, lying constantly to the media, dodging Stane's requests to talk to Toni, no matter how many times she told him that Toni was not interested in talking to anyone but herself. It was all Happy could do to stop her from finally snapping at some reporters, all of them demanding to know why Toni had been hiding, who the child belonged to, et cetera.

  Rhodey would have been furious too, but he was more busy soothing Toni as she cried tears of frustration, trying to think past the pain of pushing a whole live human being out of a place it didn’t seem to want to leave.

  Inevitably, barely an hour after it was on the news, Stephen and Bruce both cancelled any and all engagements, catching the next flight to Ohio, arriving mere hours apart.

  Rhodey still being in the room, neither of them were allowed to go in, or to be given any information. Pepper had given them a tight, reassuring smile, but she didn’t know anything either.

  So they waited. Stephen's head buried in his hands, Bruce’s palm a comforting weight on his knee, both men troubled by the thought of why. _Why had Toni not told them?_

  Seven hours after Toni had been brought to the hospital, the Stark-Strange child was born.

 

* * *

 

  “Have you thought of any names yet?” The nurse asked, just as Stephen and Bruce stepped in.

  Rhodey glanced over at Stephen. “I'm not the father,” he denied. “Stephen?”

  Hands trembling, avoiding looking at Toni passed out on the bed, Stephen carefully- _oh, so terribly carefully_ \- brushed a finger over the hairless head of the little bundle. Struggling weakly, cries dying down to whimpers, the boy stared at him through eyes that were barely open, just enough for Stephen to make out the slits of liquid brown. 

 He had Toni’s eyes, he thought to himself, and his heart was suddenly beating a little faster as he fell in love, quite irrevocably, with this child; _his and Toni’s child._

  And yet, even as Bruce cooed adorably at him, Stephen felt the phantom pain of separation, because he knew, somehow, what decisions Toni had taken. Without him.

  And the worst part was that he agreed.

  “Toni was talking about adoption,” Rhodey said softly, like he sensed his thoughts. “Closed, because she doesn't trust herself not to seek him out if she knows where he'll be.”

  Stephen nodded, stiffly. “It's the right decision,” he said.

  Bruce looked like he wanted to argue. “You can't mean that, Stephen!”

  Stephen didn’t meet anyone’s eyes. “Neither of us are in any position to take care of a child,” he said quietly. He wanted to scream, wanted to cry and rage and demand answers. But the only person who could give them to him was unconscious.

  “Toni already had the papers drawn up and signed,” Rhodey went on. “There's already a couple who want him. We don't have their name, of course, but Pepper checked their credentials after signing an NDA.” He hesitated. “The nurse is going to take him away soon,” he went on. “Stephen... Do you want to hold him?”

  Stephen reached for the baby, almost instinctively, then caught himself. Clenching and unclenching his trembling hands, he shook his head in jerky movements. “I can’t,” he said brokenly.

  “Stephen...”

  “I can’t!” It came out harsher than he meant, but the sob that came with long contradicted it.

  The small intake of breath from the hospital bed had them all looking to see Toni shift. There was the slightest furrow on her brow as she took stock of her surroundings, the anaesthesia and exhaustion making it more difficult than normal. But her eyes still fluttered open, stubborn as ever, and, of course, they landed first on Stephen.

  “Ste...”

  The half-spoken word was barely a whisper, an expression of uncertainty, as if she couldn’t quite fathom through her drugged up head what Stephen could be doing here. And yet, her lips seemed to twitch up, relief leaking into the faint voice. Was it his imagination? Or was she truly happy to see him?

  He didn’t wait to find out. With a last glance towards his child, Stephen turned and, for the first time since they’d met, walked away from Toni.

 

* * *

 

  “Miss Stark, what do you have to say...?”

  “Hey, Toni, why the sudden...?”

  “Is the red hair a permanent change or...?”

  “Dr Stark, are the rumours about you and...?”

  Toni tuned them all out as she stepped out of the car. Happy was at her side in an instant, one large hand curled protectively around her, the other outstretched to keep people away.

  “Don't listen to them, Boss,” he muttered as they made inside Metro General Hospital.

  She nodded, eyes weary and tired behind her sunglasses.

  “You want me to wait here or...?”

  “Yeah, it’s okay,” she told him. “I'll be fine.”

  Happy looked doubtful, but he stepped back with a reassuring pat on her shoulder, before turning away to keep an eye on the media clamouring outside the glass doors.

  Toni made her way up to the third floor, a litany of curses running through her mind, all of them directed towards Bruce. He’d cornered her a few days after she’d been released from the hospital, demanding to know everything. She’d refused initially and they’d ended up having their biggest argument ever, until Toni finally broke, mentally exhausted from the turmoil of the past year. After that, he’d conspired with Rhodey and Pepper, bypassing Obadiah, and had bundled Toni onto a flight for New York before she knew what was happening.

  She could have still turned back, of course; she was perfectly capable of hijacking her own jet and flying it. But, if she was being honest, she wanted to see Stephen.

  “Excuse me,” She called out to a doctor passing her by, ignoring the curious and awestruck stares from around her.

  The woman looked at her in some surprise and Toni recognised her as the doctor who’d greeted her when she woke up in the hospital after the Twin Towers attack.

  “Dr Palmer, isn’t it?”

  Dr Palmer looked pleasantly surprised. “Yes, Miss Stark. Or, uh, should I call you Miss Sousa?”

  Toni managed a smile for her. “Yes, sorry about that,” she apologized. “Needs must, you know. Anyway, I was hoping you could tell me where Dr Stephen Strange is right now?”

  Dr Palmer hesitated visibly, then nodded slowly. “He should be in his office right now...” She trailed off as she glanced around them. “Right, there he is.”

  Toni followed her gaze and her heart skipped a few beats as Stephen slowed down near a door, a cup of coffee in his hands, white scrubs on, eyes wide as he stared at her.

  He swallowed, sizing her up, before sighing and ducking into his office.

  Toni followed without a thought, nervous.

  “Hey,” she greeted softly, as she closed the door behind her.

  “What are you doing here, Toni?” He sighed.

  “I came to see you,” she said. “And to apologize.”

  He shot her a look, and there was suddenly anger in his eyes. “Get on with it, then.”

  That stung. “I'm sorry,” she whispered.

  He didn’t twitch, glaring at her.

  “I'm _really_ sorry,” she emphasised.

  “For what?”

  She winced at the harshness. “For lying to you. For not telling you about... The baby. For breaking up with you like that. For hurting you.”

  Stephen's glare softened. “Why did you?” He asked. His voice was suddenly very small, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. “Why... I just don’t get it.”

  This was the part that was difficult. Voice shaking, hands clamped behind her back to hide the trembling, she explained everything. Right from her connection to SHIELD to the danger to his life.

  “And then I found out about the pregnancy and I realized, I had absolutely no choice. I couldn’t put you at risk, and definitely not a baby. I had to break up with you, see, otherwise there’s no telling how long I could have protected you. And it had to be an adoption, because...”

  She trailed off when Stephen held up a hand to stop her.

  “I get it,” he said, face white.

  Toni wondered if it was the threats to his safety that had rattled him, or the idea of the existence of a shadow agency so firmly entrenched in her life and, consequently, in his.

  “You were trying to protect me, I get it,” he repeated. “But breaking up with me wasn’t your choice to make. You weren’t the only one in that relationship. It was both of us.”

  Toni nodded, miserable.

  “Same for... For the baby. He was my child too, Toni. I had every right to know and you didn’t even think to tell me about it. You even made a decision about the adoption without me.”

  “Stephen, I’m telling you...”

  “No, stop.” He shook his head. “Listen to me. I’m not arguing your decision. You’re right, neither of us are in a place to take care of a child. And that’s without taking SHIELD into account. But it was still something I deserved to have a say in.”

  Lips pressed tightly, she nodded.

  Stephen seemed to be thinking. “Did you hold him?” He asked. He looked close to breaking now and Toni wanted more than anything to wipe that look off his face. But she’d probably lost that right.

  “No,” she answered. “No, I... I couldn’t. I...” She took a deep shuddering breath. “I knew if I held him... I’d never be able to let him go.”

  She could hear the tears in her voice and knew that he could too.

  “Neither did I,” Stephen mumbled.

  For a few ling moments, they stood in silence, both at opposite ends of the room, both aching to step closer and simultaneously to turn away.

  Finally, Stephen spoke. “I think... I think I need to not be with you right now.”

  Toni looked up at him, grief rushing through her. She’d expected this, but... “Are we still friends, at least?” She croaked.

  He lifted a shoulder helplessly. “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” He looked frustrated and just as miserable as she felt. “I just... I need distance. From all of this. From you.”

  She nodded, blinking furiously. “Okay,” she said. “Okay. Whatever you need, want. Anything.” She started to back away. “Goodbye, Stephen,” she murmured. “I'm sorry.”

  She turned to open the door, but Stephen spoke again.

  “Toni?” There was a clear sob in his words. “You know I love you?”

  And Toni grit her teeth, fingers clenching around the door handle as guilt wracked her. “I'm so sorry,” she repeated in a whisper. “But I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, Stephen and Toni do get over it after a long time. But they never really get around to beginning a relationship again. Stephen stays in New York permanently, starts dating Christine. With Bruce and Toni's friendship, he's quite less of an egotistical douchbag than in canon. Bruce continues his research in his usual country-hopping, nomadic way. Toni remains in Malibu. They all keep in touch, meeting up every now and then and remain best friends. A few years after this, Toni meets Loki in Pasitano, Italy.
> 
> Once again, than you so much for supporting both the story and my indecisiveness. And I'm really sorry if some of you are disappointed with the way this ended.

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr: bad-days-and-beautiful-nights


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